Quade Cooper in surprise Toulon U-turn
Coach Michael Cheika said to have played a big part in convincing Wallabies fly-half to stay put in Australia
Wallabies fly-half Quade Cooper has pulled out of a big-money move to France to remain in Australian rugby, a report said on Sunday.
The Australian Rugby Union is set to confirm the Wallabies playmaker has signed a four-year deal to stay in the country, opting out of his lucrative contract with French club Toulon, Fairfax Media reported.
They said an announcement was expected to be made Monday confirming Cooper's re-signing with the ARU, after his Queensland Reds team severed ties with him last month amid acrimonious contractual negotiations.
With us helping him get to where he wants to go and become an even better player, we're still yet to see the best of Quade Cooper
Wallabies coach Michael Cheika gave nothing away Sunday following his team's last-gasp 24-20 win over South Africa in their Rugby Championship opener in Brisbane the previous night.
But Cheika has reportedly been a significant figure in the ARU's talks with Cooper and his management and has repeatedly underlined the importance of keeping the skilful fly-half in Australian rugby.
"I haven't been on top of it, I'll be honest with you, at all," Cheika said. "Obviously, you can see by him getting the first selection [at fly-half] what we think about him as a player.
"With us helping him get to where he wants to go and become an even better player, we're still yet to see the best of Quade Cooper."
