Rob Simmons knows first hand how Will Genia, Quade Cooper can lift teams when they are in form

Rob Simmons reckons the Stormers have done the Waratahs a massive favour by giving them some vital clues on how to stop the Rebels’ in-form pairing of Will Genia and Quade Cooper

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Rob Simmons used to love it when Will Genia and Quade Cooper were at the top of their game because he knew what usually happened next.

More often than not, it meant their team was going to win, which was just perfect for Simmons when the three of them were on the same side at the Queensland Reds, culminating in their Super Rugby title in 2011.

They are still great mates and keep in regular contact but now that they are on opposing sides, the big Waratahs’ lock isn’t quite so pumped about meeting up with them when they are in such great form.

The Tahs know they have to stop Genia and Cooper to have a shot at winning.

“You end up playing against a lot of your mates, that’s a fact of professional rugby, people move around and it’s an enjoyable thing too,” Simmons said.

“I know them very well and how lethal they can be and it looks like they’re back on the page that they know so well.”

Simmons knows the positive impact Genia and Cooper have on the rest of the team having experienced it first hand in their time together at the Reds and the Wallabies.

And he has no doubt that the success of the Melbourne Rebels this season has everything to do with the way the two halves are working alongside each other.

“They’re playing together so well, they’ve got a good combination,” he said.

“Their communication between each other is very clear, or black and white, there’s no confusion between them, which rubs off on the rest of the team.

“The rest of the team knows what their role is and I suppose that’s why they’re playing so well.”

Genia left the Reds after the 2015 World Cup for a stint playing club rugby in France before returning to Australia last year on a two-season deal with the then-struggling Rebels.

Cooper and Genia celebrate their title success with the Reds in 2011.

Simmons and Cooper both left Queensland after being told they were no longer wanted and all three have found a new lease of life at their new teams while the Reds continue to limp along.

They will go head to head at the SCG on Saturday night and the stakes could not be higher with the Rebels seven points ahead of NSW on the Australian Conference table.

The Rebels have played an extra match but missed their chance to open up a bigger gap with a surprise loss at home to the Stormers last week and Simmons said the South Africans gave the Waratahs some vital clues on how to shut down the flatline attack that Genia and Cooper have been using to such great effect.

“I think the Stormers did it well on the weekend,” Simmons said.

“I suppose they shut down their front foot ball, they probably get a little outworked there and then lost their way after that

“If we can sort of know what they’re planning to do and try and shut that down then they have to go with something else.

“It puts the defensive team under pressure to make the right decisions and those two guys, Will and Quade, can pick a misread in something like that and if you crumble under pressure then they can put someone away and you're behind the goalposts.”

Originally published as Rob Simmons knows first hand how Will Genia, Quade Cooper can lift teams when they are in form