Quade Cooper has been identified as a special talent for some time, but he really came of age during the Super Rugby series in 2011 where he was a driving force behind the Red's romp to the finals. He brings flair that is rarely seen, and with age has developed better consistency and a nose for taking the right options - albeit often risky ones.Quade grew up alsong side his cousin Sean Maitland in Tokoroa, a small town in the rural outblocks of Waikato in New Zealand, and only moved to Australia as a 15 year old. The talent scouts weren't slow to sieze the opportunity and he quickly moved on to representative levels.Cooper had limited success with the Wallabies then a growing and public rift between himself and then coach Robbie Deans saw him left out in the cold. In 2013 things changed dramatically for Cooper, with Ewen McKenzie now at the helm. The relationship originally formed at the Reds was reignited, and with McKenzie an obvious fan Cooper was given space and direction to once more drive the Wallabies from the pivot role. By the end of 2013 he had once again established himself as a premier fly-half.A low-light of Cooper's career was being caught blatantly infringing against New Zealand's captain Richie McCaw, which saw him loudly booed by all NZ'a fans at every opportunity in years to come.Cooper also took a brief shot at boxing, following in the footsteps of the likes of Sonny Bill Williams. He didn't fail, but never really went anywhere with it.
Key career highlights:
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