The crazy new trick Quade Cooper learned while out injured
Nine months is a long time to be out for a player, but it also gives them a chance to add some new tricks to their arsenal, and that is exactly what Quade Cooper has done while on the sidelines.
The Wallabies fly-half had been out since August after he ruptured his Achilles tendon in the Rugby Championship against Argentina, but made his proper return to action on Sunday for Kintetsu Liners against Urayasu D-Rocks in the Japan Rugby League One relegation play-off.
The 35-year-old showed that he has not wasted the past nine months though, and he showed at the weekend that he has added to his already burgeoning bag of tricks. For a player that is famous for his subtlety and elan, this new trick takes a slightly different approach, and has been labelled ‘leather the ball as hard as you can into the opposing fullback so that a prop that is nowhere near catches the rebound and runs in for the try.’ The trick is quite a mouthful, but it is mightily impressive.
The try came early in the first half after a deft grubber from the Wallaby. As he chased his own kick, he realised he was not going to have time to pick it up, so decided to hack it again, which in turn went straight into the covering winger. The ball sprang up into the air and then into the grateful arms of loosehead Kenta Tanaka, who, frankly, was nowhere near the action but was able to run in for a try.
This was all on the way to a 36-14 first leg win over Urayasu D-Rocks ahead of their rematch on Saturday, where fans will all wait with bated breath to see if Cooper has another trick to unveil.
Take a look at the try:
