Michael Cheika wants Quade Cooper to provide spark off bench for Wallabies against France
WALLABY coach Michael Cheika has turned to Queensland playmaker Quade Cooper to combat the side’s inability to close out tight matches.
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WALLABY coach Michael Cheika has spent the past few weeks trying to hit Quade Cooper in the head.
On Sunday morning (AEDT) he will be hoping the Queensland Reds playmaker delivers the knockout blow to France.
After the team lost in the last minute to the All Blacks in Brisbane three weeks ago, then threatened to do the same against Wales last weekend, Cheika has turned to Cooper to combat the side’s inability to close out tight matches.
Against Wales, Cheika omitted Cooper from a nine-man bench and went for a six-forwards two-backs mix. It almost proved costly, with fatigued fly-half Bernard Foley kicking deep in the final moments and giving the Welsh backs one last attacking raid.
Cheika held off naming the bench this week, before bringing Cooper in to stop the rot.
“Quade was unfortunate not to get a run off the bench last week because I decided to go with six-two,” Cheika said.
“It’s a different challenge this week and I think five-three is what we might need at the end of this game more.”
When the Wallaby touring party arrived in London three weeks ago Cheika admitted he had never met Cooper. Since then he has got to know him in the most unusual manner.
During training sessions, as the other members of the team have done “extras” such as practising their kicking or catching under the high ball, Cheika and Cooper have put on boxing gloves and held very spirited sparring sessions.
It was a training device that Cheika introduced to help with player footwork and fitness at the Waratahs last season and one which he obviously benefited from as well.
During the captain’s run prior to the Wales game, as the 23-man Test squad ran through drills, Cheika and professionally-trained boxer Cooper went to a quiet corner of the in-goal and started sparring.
Cooper, who is undefeated in two pro-fights, didn’t hold back, and neither did his coach. With a Wallaby trainer calling off the minutes, and players and onlookers cheering them on, both men showed good moves and landed wholehearted blows.
“I think he went easy on me,” Cheika said later.
“It’s just a way for Quade to improve his fitness, and me too. “
Whether or not the qualities he has seen in Cooper during their boxing sessions has anything to do with it, Cheika said he would have no hesitation bringing the attack specialist into a tight situation at the end of a Test.
“We did it with (halfback) Will Genia last week in a very key position,” he said.
“I think those guys on the bench, especially the playmakers, do not prepare the same way as the starters.
“They’re coming on with a couple of different scenarios in their mind that they’re preparing for. It’s either a closing job or a catch-up and they’ve got to react together to get that job done.
“Our playmakers on the bench have very important roles because they’ve got very specific situations that they’ve either got to get the team into, or out of.”
Cheika has also found a novel way to inspire his pack as they work to improve their consistency and aggression against the Northern Hemisphere’s top scrummagers.
At Tuesday’s training session, as the Test and reserve packs engaged in a series of long, fiercely contested scrums, all the backs stood close by, barracking and applauding.
“Sometimes the scrum is siphoned off a bit,” Cheika said. “It’s like, ‘backs, you go over there and forwards you practise scrums’, but the backs are depended on the scrum as well. There’s eight opposition blokes tied up and it’s their best opportunity to attack.
“We’re playing a bit, having fun with it, but at the same time balancing the importance of that piece, and making it really important to the team.
“We’re not hiding from it, if there’s a problem with it, own up and deal with it so we can improve in that area. Make it a collective, so everyone’s feeling it. If we’re having a problem with the scrum, the backs are feeling it too, so we let’s get in there together and get each other motivated.”
WALLABIES v FRANCE at Stade de Francais
Sunday at 7am AEDT - LIVE ON FOX SPORTS 2
WALLABIES TEAM
1. James Slipper
2. Saia Fainga’a
3. Sekope Kepu
4. James Horwill
5. Rob Simmons
6. Sean McMahon
7. Michael Hooper (c)
8. Ben McCalman
9. Nick Phipps
10. Bernard Foley
11. Joe Tomane
12. Christian Leali’ifano
13. Tevita Kuridrani
14. Adam Ashley-Cooper
15. Israel Folau
Reserves:
16. James Hanson
17. Benn Robinson
18. Ben Alexander
19. Will Skelton
20. Matt Hodgson
21. Will Genia
22. Quade Cooper
23. Rob Horne
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