Publications
Partners
Wellington - Quade Cooper's grandmother has leapt to the Wallaby flyhalf's defence after he was labelled a "boofhead" by Australian great Nick Farr-Jones and pilloried in the New Zealand media.
Displaying the same fiesty streak that has sometimes landed the Australian number 10 in hot water, Millie Cooper, 76, issued some blunt advice to her grandson's critics - "build a bridge and get over it".
Controversy around Cooper since he arrived in New Zealand for the Rugby World Cup has threatened to eclipse the 23-year-old's on-field exploits, with the player dubbing himself "public enemy number one" on his Twitter account.
But Millie Cooper said the player, who grew up in New Zealand and has Maori heritage, was a "lovely" boy who had plenty of time for children and the elderly.
"He's not a whakahihi (arrogant) boy, you know, he loves children and he loves the old people, he's got patience to be with young and old," she told the New Zealand Herald.
She also defended Cooper over the incident which triggered Farr-Jones' "boofhead" jibe, when he kneed All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw in the head during last month's Tri-Nations decider.
"They said Quadey kneed Richie McCaw's head. They see the bad part but they didn't see who was pushing him... build a bridge and get over it," she said.
The septagenarian, who still lives in the North Island where Cooper was raised, added: "It seems there's a bit of jealousy both here and over in Aussie, but as long as his teammates get on well, bugger the rest."
Farr-Jones predicted Cooper's constant needling of McCaw could backfire if the Wallabies meet the All Blacks in next month's World Cup final.
The New Zealand public have also taken offence at his treatment of their revered skipper, booing his every touch of the ball during the tournament.
He has been labelled a "cheap shot merchant" in the New Zealand media and the kiwi roots of a player whose team probably represents the main threat to the All Blacks' title chances have only fuelled the enmity towards him.
The Dominion Post newspaper ran an article detailing "five reasons to dislike Quade Cooper" on Friday, citing "he's a New Zealander playing in a yellow (Australian ) jersey" among the list.
Ewen McKenzie, Cooper's coach at Australian Super 15 club the Queensland Reds, said he was not surprised attention was focused on the playmaker, who helped his side win its first southern hemisphere provincial title this year.
"I don't see it as a concerning thing," McKenzie told Australian news agency on Thursday.
"He intrigues people, which is the best way to put it. People are trying to find faults because he's an enigma."
McKenzie likened Cooper to Australian legend David Campese, another electrifying player who polarised opinion.
"I came through the Campese era and people liked to tear him down but he too had the X-factor and, in the amateur days, he brought a lot of people through the gates to watch him play," he said.
