Cooper's knee surgery delayed

Brisbane - Flyhalf Quade Cooper may be forced to miss Australia's end-of-season rugby tour of Europe after scheduled surgery to repair a knee injury was delayed for at least a week.

Cooper was due to undergo arthroscopic surgery on Friday to remove a small chip of cartilage from the knee he injured during last year's Rugby World Cup.

The surgery was delayed because of a cut Cooper suffered, probably from a boot stud, during Australia's Rugby Championship Test against Argentina last weekend. Cooper said the operation will now take place in a week to 10 days.

Cooper's recovery from the surgery is expected to take four to six weeks and the delay threatens his availability for the Australian tour starting November 10 against France.