lewisr The argument against Cooper is twofold, arguably threefold. Firstly, that he is a high-risk, high-reward player - as you acknowledge. That's fine when you've got a decent run of games and time to recover from a loss. This can apply for the Soup, or an extended run of games like the Rugby Championship. If he has a shocker against the Lions then we're suddenly only one game away from losing the entire series. The second point is that in the only series comparable to the Lions, the World Cup, Cooper disintegrated. He played badly virtually the entire tournament until the third-place play-off when nothing mattered. I'm not saying I advocate the argument, but I think it's an easier argument for a coach under huge pressure to get behind. He's dominated the Soup before, and not delivered to the same level in Tests. The last point that's more open for debate is his teary about not wanting to wear the 'yellow jersey.' That's going to matter for some people inside the team.
I think cooper has shown this season that he can play with consistency. When he doesn't have a blinder, he plays to the level that any other 10 would... It would therefore be hard to claim that he could be the sole reason we lose a Lions game.
It is also fair to say that the World Cup was not entirely his fault. The whole team performed at a sub-standard level and this was compounded by the fact that Deans didn't choose a back line that suited Quade (How many times does this have to be said?). On top of that There was an obvious, I mean blatantly obvious lack of psychological care for his situation. With a player like Quade (or kurtley or JOC (James O'Connor)) there need to be some understanding that they will require a level of coaching behind plain rugby - that is if you want to get the best out of them.
And that leads me to your final comment. I have no doubt that there was an element of truth to his 'toxic' comments. Hopefully Bill Pulver will be able to solve the issue but there is/ was failing in the culture of the Wallabies last year that had manifested over the past few years with Deans' 'Text players instead of talk to them' coaching style and John O'Neills short-sighted management. Look at players like George Smith, Phil Waugh and Matt Giteau - all brilliant players who had a falling-out with Deans who clearly lacks any man management ability. Giteau is now playing the best footy of his life.
I am not saying Quade should be excused for his comments, they were out of line and childish. However it really shows that the ARU have not been taking a more effective stance on man management and psychological coaching. I hope that Pulver (and a new coach *fingers crossed*) will change this and we'll see a golden age of Wallaby rugby re-emerge.
We won those Welsh Tests with goal kicking, If JOC (James O'Connor)/Beale/Quade were kicking, I doubt we would've. It's a huge factor and only Barnes is good at it. Lealiifano has limited range.
I was also bored out of my mind... The ARU are recording consistent losses and are competing with the likes of NRL and AFL. The last thing they need is boring rugby and Pulver recognizes this. Expect a new coach if Deans plays boring rugby against the Lions (even if he wins the series).
