Share

Cooper back for the No 10 shirt

Sydney - Australia flyhalf Quade Cooper will make his long-awaited return from injury this weekend after being named in the Reds team for Saturday's Super Rugby clash against the Force in Perth.

Cooper, who is pondering a lucrative offer from French club Toulon for next season, has played just two matches for the Reds this year after fracturing his collar bone in pre-season and a shoulder blade in early April.

"Quade was given the all clear 10 days ago but we wanted to keep working on his strength and bulk just to ensure we didn't compromise his return," said Reds coach Richard Graham.

"He has been training with the squad now for about three weeks and will have no problems returning to play at this level."

The 27-year-old has just three more Super Rugby matches to prove his form and fitness to Wallabies coach Michael Cheika ahead of the Rugby Championship and World Cup in England later this year.

Cooper missed most of last year's international season because of injury and slipped behind Bernard Foley in the pecking order for the number 10 shirt.

Teams:

Force

15 Dane Haylett-Petty, 14 Luke Morahan, 13 Marcel Brache, 12 Kyle Godwin, 11 Nick Cummins, 10 Sias Ebersohn, 9 Ryan Louwrens, 8 Ben McCalman, 7 Matt Hodgson (captain), 6 Angus Cottrell, 5 Adam Coleman, 4 Steve Mafi, 3 Tetera Faulkner, 2 Nathan Charles, 1 Pek Cowan

Substitutes: 16 Heath Tessmann, 17 Chris Heiberg, 18 Guy Millar, 19 Sam Wykes, 20 Kane Koteka, 21 Alby Mathewson, 22 Luke Burton, 23 Patrick Dellit

Reds

15 James O’Connor, 14 Chris Feauai-Sautia, 13 Karmichael Hunt, 12 Samu Kerevi, 11 Lachie Turner, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Jake Schatz, 7 Liam Gill, 6 Adam Thomson, 5 James Horwill, 4 Rob Simmons, 3 Greg Holmes, 2 James Hanson, 1 James Slipper (captain)

Substitutes: (one to be omitted): 16 Andrew Ready, 17 Pettowa Paraka, 18 Sam Talakai, 19 Ed O’Donoghue, 20 Beau Robinson, 21 Nick Frisby, 22 Jake McIntyre, 23 Ben Tapuai, 24 Jamie-Jerry Taulagi

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1203 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
30% - 1403 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2127 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE