Australia bad boy Kurtley Beale is a welcome late addition, and not a distraction, to the Wallabies squad on their European tour, their mercurial flyhalf Quade Cooper claimed.
Beale, who was fined a total of A$48,000 (US$41,700) for sending an offensive text message to then-Wallabies business manager Di Patston, and sanctioned again for being rude and disrespectful to the team management, has not played for Australia since the defeat in Cape Town by South Africa on Sept. 27.
However, he received a call-up for the final two Tests last week and Cooper said the 25-year-old utility back was in good spirits as they prepare for the daunting one-off Test with Six Nations champions Ireland at Lansdowne Road on Saturday.
“From a team point of view he [Beale] offers a lot, everyone’s happy to have him here,” said Cooper, who has been no stranger to controversies in the past. Cheiks [coach Michael Cheika] speaks highly of him and knows his ability as a player.”
Cooper, who was fined a record A$60,000 in 2012 for describing the Wallabies regime under then-coach Robbie Deans as “toxic,” said Beale’s behavior was not up for debate.
“None of us are here to play politicians, or politics, we’re all here with the same focus of improving as a rugby team, and improving as rugby players,” Cooper said.
“From a professional point of view we’re focusing on beating Ireland this week — we know it’s going to be a tough encounter. Kurtley is fine, he’s in good spirits and he’s keen to get out there, train and be a part of the squad,” he said.
Cooper, who at one point deliberated over accepting a lucrative offer to switch to rugby league before opting to remain in union, suffered a shoulder injury in May and lost his place to Bernard Foley as first choice flyhalf.
The New Zealand-born playmaker has been used sparingly on the tour so far, although he sparked a revival from the Wallabies when he came on in the narrow 29-26 defeat by France on Saturday.
However, he spoke glowingly about Cheika, who stepped in when Ewen McKenzie resigned at the end of the Rugby Championship as part of the fallout from the Beale scandal.
“Cheiks’ style of play is about bringing out your best and bringing your strengths to the table and making those strengths seem even stronger than they really are,” Cooper said.
“In terms of the way we are playing it is a lot different to what I am used to, but, at the same time, it is an opportunity to learn. I am loving learning under this environment and hoping I can continue to grow as a player. You don’t want to become stagnant, you always want to improve and I see this as a great opportunity to do that,” he said
Cooper, who also fought in professional boxing bouts and spars with Cheika at training, said the tour could not have come at a more opportune time allowing the players to try and forget about the past few months which also included some poor results with Argentina pulling off a shock win over them.
“With the ups and downs we have had in the past season it is great to be on tour and be with the group for five weeks and have five games, and find our identity as a team, it’s something we are working very hard at,” Cooper said.
“This is an interesting tour. We had a good start against the Barbarians and Wales, and a tough game against the French. We are looking to play very hard and improve as a team,” he said.
While Cooper said Cheika’s inside knowledge of Irish rugby — he coached Leinster to their first European Cup win — would be useful, he believed the best way to beat Ireland was by nullifying the threat of his opposite number Jonathan Sexton.
“He’s such a class act, I have always enjoyed playing against him personally,” Cooper said.
“For me I love the way he plays, not a traditional Irish flyhalf who sits in the pocket and kicks, he loves to run, he loves to have a few little trick plays. Being shortlisted for IRB player of the year is well deserved. Hopefully we can overcome him on Saturday,” he said.
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
NO DOUBT: Spurs star Wembanyama was unanimously selected as NBA Rookie of the Year, winning all 99 votes to become the first Frenchman to capture the honor The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night produced a dominant defensive display to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 road victory. The third-seeded Timberwolves harassed Denver relentlessly to claim a second straight win over the NBA champions as the series heads back to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards scored 27 points apiece, but the star of the show was Minnesota’s suffocating defensive effort, which knocked Denver out of their stride almost from the tip-off. The Timberwolves finished with 11 steals and 12 blocks, in sharp contrast to
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
One of Malaysia’s top soccer clubs has pulled out of today’s season-opening Charity Shield after a spate of assaults, including an acid attack, on players in the country. It leaves the kickoff of Malaysia’s season this weekend under a cloud following the unprecedented acts of violence against players, which have left the country shocked and angry. Authorities said they have imposed tighter security, but Selangor said that they would not play in the showpiece curtain-raiser against Malaysian Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) citing “a series of criminal incidents and recent threats.” Selangor and Malaysia winger Faisal Halim is in intensive care