MERCURIAL AUSSIE OUT-HALF Quade Cooper insists that losing to Ireland might be the best thing that has happened to the Wallabies at this year’s World Cup.
Ahead of Saturday’s final pool game against Russia, Cooper tried to spin the shock 15-6 defeat in Eden Park as a positive, saying that it has stamped out every last trace of complacency in the Australian camp.
“The best thing we got out of it was that you have to prepare properly for each game – that’s how serious the World Cup is,” Cooper told reporters.
It does help the mood of the team in that you don’t get complacent and you realise there might have been areas in our game that we’d brushed over.
And although the prevailing mood in the Australian media before the Ireland game was one of confidence, the Kiwi-born star was adamant that the players had not underestimated Declan Kidney’s men.
“The Irish showed us that you can’t take any game lightly – not that we took them lightly – and you have to give respect to all the teams.”
Australia go into Saturday’s game in Nelson knowing that a bonus-point win will ramp up the pressure on Ireland ahead of their game against Italy on Sunday morning.
Should the Wallabies claim all five points as expected, Ireland know that at the very least they will need to pick up two losing bonus points in Dunedin if they are to progress as group winners and secure a seeded spot in the quarter-final draw.
Hope it comes right for him. Wouldn’t be the same without him.
Total druggie
Ya come up with that all in your own.. One of the most tested athletes ever. One of the greatest if not the greatest sprinters ever!! But sure if u say he is a druggie I take it he is!!
Hope he’s not a druggie but wasn’t Lance one of the most tested cyclists of all time.
Most tested athletes ever.Give me a break will ya?are you still wearing your yellow wristband too?
Bolt is like the only guy out of the top 20 fastest times ever to never get caught doping. He’s not a unique snowflake. He’s doped to the gills just as much as Gatlin or anyone else. It’d be naive to think otherwise. Athletics is as corrupt as Cycling.
Lance Armstrong was “one of the most tested athletes ever”. He never ” officially” tested positive. Doesn’t mean he wasn’t using PEDs.
He’s the greatest.
The horrible question around Bolt is his junior record. If he is doping now, when did he start? Very sinister
I subscribe to Tommy Tiernans vision….let them take whatever drugs they want. Who doesn’t want to see a man run 100 metres in 4 seconds??
Ah who cares – the lines are so blurred these days it’s hard to know the difference between just about clean & doping. I’m presuming the ” clean ” athletes are the ones on right side of legal – just. The man is box office – let’s hope and pray for this legend ..
Surely it should be like the karate kid, defending champion has to be in the Olympics