‘Forever grateful’: Wallabies star Quade Cooper on cusp of Australian citizenship

Quade Cooper impressed on his return to the Wallabies this year and soon the star fly-half could have even more reason to celebrate.

Quade Cooper is on the cusp of Australian citizenship after 75 Tests as a Wallaby.

The Auckland-born fly-half on Friday took the test to officially become an Australian following changes to citizenship rules announced by the federal government earlier this year.

In mid-September, just days after Cooper made his triumphant return for the Wallabies in the Rugby Championship, the Australian government announced it had relaxed the criteria for the “most talented prospective Australians” applying to become citizens.

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“The unique work and travel demands on some of our most highly distinguished prospective Australians should not preclude them from making the cut,” Immigration Minister Alex Hawke said at the time.

Quade Cooper was born in New Zealand but his family relocated across the ditch in his early teens. Picture: Patrick Hamilton / AFP)

En route to his citizenship test, Cooper, whose previous applications were rejected, said he was “forever grateful” for his chance to “officially call Australia home”.

“It probably wouldn’t have happened without your support,” he wrote to his Twitter followers.

On the bullet train to Tokyo to sit the Australian citizenship test at 10am.. weird feeling but it probably wouldn’t have happened with out your support!thank you to everyone who pushed for people like myself to be eligible to officially call Australia home ❤️🙏🏽 forever grateful

— Quade Cooper (@QuadeCooper) December 2, 2021

Becoming an Australian citizen would cap off a remarkable year for Cooper.

Lured back for the Rugby Championship after more than four years in the Test wilderness, the 33-year-old was instrumental in Australia’s five-game winning streak.

His first game back was perhaps his most memorable. Cooper kicked seven penalty goals — including one after the siren — to seal a shock two-point win for Australia against world champions South Africa.

With the Kintetsu Liners’ pre-season approaching, Cooper opted to stay behind in Japan when the Wallabies travelled to the United Kingdom for the final leg of their spring tour.

He finished the stint with five wins and no losses to his name and was replaced at fly-half by James O’Connor.

In Cooper’s absence, Dave Rennie’s men lost to Scotland, England and Wales, bringing the curtain down on the Wallabies’ year in disappointing fashion.

Originally published as ‘Forever grateful’: Wallabies star Quade Cooper on cusp of Australian citizenship