Wallabies news: Bernard Foley, Pete Samu get Australia A call ups but Hooper and Cooper left out
The announcement of the Australia A team heading to Europe with the Wallabies provides some clue of who may get a World Cup call-up, and it’s not good news for two ageing stars.
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Michael Hooper and Quade Cooper have been left out of the Australia A team that will accompany the Wallabies to Europe as they finish their preparations for the World Cup.
While head coach Eddie Jones can recall anyone he wants to replace any player that gets injured during the World Cup, the announcement of the 26-man Australia A squad provides some clues.
Australia A will play a practice match against Portugal in Paris on August 26, with many of the players expected to remain in Europe on standby if they are needed.
The squad includes several players who were considered unlucky to miss on World Cup selection, including Pete Samu, Tom Wright, Ryan Lonergan and Folau Fainga‘a.
Some highly experienced players such as Bernard Foley and James O’Connor were added but not Hooper or Cooper, two of the veterans who missed out after Jones said he wanted to invest in youth.
“This is a valuable opportunity for these players, playing on the doorstep of the Rugby World Cup, just days before it kicks off – however the most important thing for us will be to play well together as a team,” Australia A Coach Jason Gilmore said.
“The Rugby World Cup is a long tournament, and history suggests you rarely finish with the same squad that you begin with.
“The players are aware of the possibility that the Wallabies may need an injury replacement, and this is an opportunity for them to put themselves in the picture.”
The omission of Cooper from the World Cup squad has already raised plenty of eyebrows, particularly after only one specialist five-eighth – Carter Gordon – was picked for the marathon seven-week tournament.
. A talented but raw youngster, Gordon only made his Wallabies debut off the bench against South Africa last month before being promoted to the starting line-up three weeks later against New Zealand.
But he said he was confident and had been given some support from Cooper himself, who helped mentor him after he was called into the squad.
“I was just playing week to week and making sure I was doing my role every day and just doing everything I could for the team,” Gordon said.
“To get a start, I‘m extremely grateful and to have two starts under my belt now, I’ve obviously grown with a bit of confidence and I just can’t wait to get over to France.
“Obviously I was a little bit nervous for that first start (against New Zealand) in Melbourne. But I‘m really glad the way everything happened the way it did. Then to get that second start in Dunedin was unreal.
“I went into that game kind of knowing what to expect having that one game under my belt. I really enjoyed it. I was really happy out there.”
The 33-man Wallabies squad departs Sydney on Thursday for a final warm up match against France on September 27 before their opening World Cup clash with Georgia at the Stade de France on September 9.
Originally published as Wallabies news: Bernard Foley, Pete Samu get Australia A call ups but Hooper and Cooper left out
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