Graham Henry: "That little prick [Quade] Cooper helped us.''

[Slim 293]

Pretty funny actually...


http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10787750

Henry reveals plans for World Cup failure

For Graham Henry, winning the World Cup was the ultimate high. But had the All Blacks lost the final to France, he had a different high in mind.

"I would have been in the south of France smoking marijuana and drinking red wine,'' he said. "I would still have the same woman ... nobody else would have me.''

Henry was speaking at last night's Hawke's Bay RFU fundraising dinner in Napier, where he also revealed how he managed to entice the hero from that final, Steven Donald, off the "whitebaiting circuit'' to solve the All Blacks' crisis at first-five.

"I asked Beaver how much whitebait he had. When he replied 2kg I said, `son, that's enough to get you in the All Blacks'. That penalty goal of his is one of the quickest I've seen and, although he was out of the line every time defensively, he became a cult hero.''

Henry argued the presence of Dan Carter would have turned the 8-7 thriller into a romp, but that manner of victory would have been less sweet. It would've been less stressful, too.

"It was hard for me but Richie [McCaw] later told me it was the best 20 minutes of his life.''

It wasn't just hard for Henry. The coach said he had spoken to many people who couldn't bare to watch the climax at Eden Park, including his assistant Wayne Smith who had his back to the game in the coach's box.

"I was sending the message out for them to kick for the corners,'' Henry said. "They kept taking the French on around the fringes - coaches have a huge influence.''

The coach explained how motivating his troops for the semifinal defeat of Australia was easier than the final, thanks to the presence of one particular member of the opposition.

"That little prick [Quade] Cooper helped us.''

The build-up to that win over the old foe was less than ideal, with Israel Dagg and Cory Jane breaking a team curfew, but Henry said veterans McCaw, Carter, Andrew Hore and Mils Muliaina dealt well with that incident.

"They had to go and front the leaders. They were s***ing themselves. They had to apologise to the team ... it had nothing to do with me, the players disciplined themselves.

"They both played the games of their lives against Australia ... they wanted to repay the guys and they responded.''

If they hadn't, at least Henry had a plan to help ease the pain.

 

[MajorlyRagerly]

Just going to put some popcorn on to watch this thread develop...

 

[Jnor]

Surely this isn't real

 

[MrTimms]

It sounds like it is just a write up of a speaking gig he did. They say all kinds of stuff, just working the crowd.

I would say it would have gone down well in a dingy rugby club with some old boys half cut.

Probably a bit of truth about it too.

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Im glad Cooper helped someone in the RWC.....

 

[qwerty51]

Deans is more to blame than Cooper. He's the one that controls who plays and who doesn't. Should've taken a dig at him.

 

[fatprop]

A brash kid from the wrong side of the kiwi tracks is on a hiding to nothing when he doesn't respect his "betters".

 

[spooony]

RT @GeorgeBlaxall: @QuadeCooper if you didn't live in Australia where would to live dude?
QuadeCooper I would go Straight to Cape town sir

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Deans is more to blame than Cooper. He's the one that controls who plays and who doesn't. Should've taken a dig at him.

Speaking of Deans - how impressive was Jake White on the Rugby Club last night: I understood everything he said. Wonder what he's up to in 2 years?

 

[spooony]

Quade next time use your studs not the knee otherwise non choking AB coaches will have nothing to say at tea parties

 

[MajorlyRagerly]

Pretty disappointing. Expected a few to get frothy at the mouth over the fact Henry said something at a private function to get a rise out of the crowd...

lift your game GAGR!

Spoony - think your comment is on the wrong thread, should be in the jokes...

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

Well winners are grinners and the losers can please themselves MR. I've often taken issue with Henry's public comments, but he's got a world cup winners medal and a shit load of other people don't. I've got to say that the locals I had beers with when over there for the RWC all wanted to talk to me about Quade

 

[cyclopath]

Well, apart from referring to Cooper as a prick, which, I am sure, was pitched perfectly to his crowd, he is dead right. Cooper (wrongly, in my eyes) embraced the public enemy #1 persona, which ultimately did him no good, nor the Wallabies. But that, in and of itself, was not why we lost. But it did make the job of firing up the public and anyone else probably a bit easier. Which is what he said.
You'll have to wait a bit longer, MR, for frothing.
I'm sure Steve Hansen will deliver some great hyperbole, come International time. Disruspict, and all that.

 

[spooony]

Well he got a bad name how? Having a scuffle with McCaw which actually started before knee incident. Why is he a bad bloke and the doirty AB forwards who specialize at getting away with murder not? All the pissing and moaning was cause they lost that game. Sour grapes basically

 

[Inside Shoulder]

Its very hard to actually catch a dirty AB doing it on tape - QC (Quade Cooper) did it out in the open which wasn't smart

 

[barbarian]

For the love of god let's not start this again. Please.

 

[spooony]

Its very hard to actually catch a dirty AB doing it on tape - QC (Quade Cooper) did it out in the open which wasn't smart

haha Sean Fitzpatrick lol
They could not even catch him on slomo and freeze frame doing it but HE WAS DOING IT lol

Relax Babarella AB won the WC so that 1 game is sort of forgotten.....

 

[Riptide]

Well he got a bad name how? Having a scuffle with McCaw which actually started before knee incident. Why is he a bad bloke and the doirty AB forwards who specialize at getting away with murder not? All the pissing and moaning was cause they lost that game. Sour grapes basically

I don't think anyone is saying Cooper is a " bad bloke" but he took his own head out of the game on too many occasion (McCaw) and he failed to produce under the pressure of tournament play. He made mental errors, poor choices and left himself open to subsequent questions because of it.

 

[kiap]

Plenty of keewees, and some ozzies, are quite happy to share their moral conclusions about Cooper; calling him a bad bloke and worse.

Ted, by comparison, has been fairly mild.

 

[spooony]

I don't think anyone is saying Cooper is a " bad bloke" but he took his own head out of the game on too many occasion (McCaw) and he failed to produce under the pressure of tournament play. He made mental errors, poor choices and left himself open to subsequent questions because of it.

He is my fav Aussie. Think he is a great character and like a lo of rugby players do get caught up in the heat of the moment. Like Corne Krige. Take that away from him and you take a big part of his intensity away and sit with a shit player. Kiwi's are going after him because of his scuffle with McCaw and the that lost which cost them the Tri Nations. 95 it was food poisoning, 99 the Dirty French, 2007 The cheating french, 2011 a fly half ruffing up a loose forward. Let me say it one more time a FLYHALF ruffing up a hard as nails loose forward. When did little girls start playing rugby?