Quade Cooper facts for kids
Cooper with Brisbane City in the National Rugby Championship.
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| Full name | Quade Santini Cooper | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 5 April 1988 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Auckland, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 186 cm (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 92 kg (203 lb; 14 st 7 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Anglican Church Grammar School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Sean Maitland (cousin) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Quade Santini Cooper (born 5 April 1988) is a professional rugby union player. He also sometimes competes as a boxer. Even though he was born in New Zealand, he has played for Australia in international rugby. He currently plays for the Hanazono Liners team in Japan. He used to play for the Queensland Reds and the Melbourne Rebels in the Super Rugby competition in Australia. Quade Cooper's main position on the field is fly-half.
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Quade Cooper's Early Life and School Rugby
Quade Santini Cooper was born in Auckland, New Zealand, on 5 April 1988. He has three sisters and two brothers. When he was one year old, he moved to Tokoroa. He attended Forest View High School there. In 2001, at 13 years old, Cooper moved to Brisbane, Australia.
In Brisbane, he went to Rochedale State High School and Springwood State High School. Later, he received a scholarship to Anglican Church Grammar School. He was a star player for their top rugby union team from 2005 to 2006. In 2005, his team even shared the Queensland GPS Premiership title.
Cooper played in many age-group rugby teams in New Zealand. He toured the United Kingdom with the Australian Schoolboys in 2005. He played as a five-eighth or fullback. He joined the team again in 2006, playing nine games in total. This was a record for schoolboy rugby at the time.
Quade Cooper's Rugby Union Journey
Starting His Professional Rugby Career
In 2007, Quade Cooper joined the Queensland Reds team for the 2007 Super 14 season. He was only 18 years old when he played his first game for the Reds. This was in Round 2 against the Crusaders. The Reds had a tough season that year.
Later in 2007, Cooper played for the East Coast Aces. This was one of the Queensland teams in the new Australian Rugby Championship.
Playing for Australia and Super Rugby Success
In 2008, there were rumors that New Zealand teams wanted to sign Cooper. But he stayed with the Reds. He helped the Reds win a big game against the Bulls, making a try assist.
Cooper was chosen for the Australian national under-20 side in 2008. He played well in the 2008 IRB Junior World Championship. After this, he was selected to play for Australia (the Wallabies) in their international tour. He made his first international game (test debut) against Italy. He came on as a substitute and scored a try to help Australia win.
In 2009, Cooper signed again with Australia and the Reds. He played in all 13 games for the Reds that season. He also got his first start for Australia, playing at second five-eighth against Italy. He played very well on the Grand Slam tour, earning praise from rugby legends.
Winning the Super Rugby Title and World Cup Appearances
In 2010, Cooper was given a yellow card for a dangerous tackle during a game. This meant he was suspended from two important games against New Zealand.
In 2011, the Queensland Reds won the first-ever Super Rugby title. Cooper was a key player and kicked many of their goals. He also played in all of Australia's Tri-Nations games. He took over kicking duties in the final game against the All Blacks, helping Australia win the Tri-Nations title.
Cooper was chosen for the Rugby World Cup 2011 in New Zealand. He played in almost all of Australia's matches as the starting fly-half. In the third-place playoff game, he got a serious knee injury (ACL injury). This meant he couldn't play for the Reds at the start of the 2012 season.
After recovering, Cooper signed a new deal to stay with the Reds until 2015. He returned to play in 2012.
International Comeback and Playing Overseas
In 2013, Cooper played in all the Reds' Super Rugby games. He made his return to the Wallabies after a long time. He played as a substitute in the first game of the 2013 Rugby Championship. For the rest of the championship, he started as fly-half.
In a game against the All Blacks in October, Cooper had an amazing performance. He kicked six goals, made a drop goal, and set up a try for a teammate. He was later named vice-captain for a test against England.
In 2014, Cooper broke the record for the most points scored for the Queensland Reds. He also played his 100th Super Rugby game for the Reds. However, he got a shoulder injury and had to miss the rest of the 2014 Super Rugby season.
Cooper was chosen for Australia at the 2015 Rugby World Cup. But he only played in one game, against Uruguay. Another player, Bernard Foley, was chosen as the main fly-half for the tournament.
In 2015, Cooper decided to play for the French team Toulon. He joined other Australian players there.
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Rugby Sevens and Returning to Australia
In 2016, Cooper joined the Australian Rugby Sevens team. He wanted to play in the 2016 Olympic Games. He scored his first try in sevens rugby in March 2016. However, he was later removed from the squad. He said this was because he did not have an Australian passport at the time. To play in the Olympics, you need to be a citizen of the country you represent.
Cooper returned to the Queensland Reds for the 2017 Super Rugby season. He played many games as the main fly-half. He was also selected for the Wallabies squad for some games in June. These were his last international games until 2021.
Towards the end of 2017, it was reported that Cooper was no longer part of the Reds' plans. The new coach told him he was not needed for training. Cooper spent most of 2018 playing club rugby for Souths.
Playing for Melbourne Rebels and Japan
In October 2018, it was announced that Cooper had signed a one-year contract with the Melbourne Rebels. His Rebels team managed to beat his old team, the Queensland Reds, twice that season.
After his time with the Rebels, Cooper joined the Hanazono Kintetsu Liners team in Japan in 2019. He played alongside his long-time teammate Will Genia.
In 2021, there were rumors that Cooper would be called back to the Wallabies team. This was because of Australia's travel rules and other players' form. On July 25, 2021, it was officially announced that Cooper was back in the squad. In a game against the Springboks, Cooper was chosen to start as fly-half. This was his first international game in over four years. He played incredibly well, scoring 23 points and kicking perfectly to help Australia win the game.
Quade Cooper's Boxing Career
| Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Rated at | Cruiserweight |
| Nationality |  Australia |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 3 |
| Wins | 3 |
| Wins by KO | 3 |
Quade Cooper has also competed in boxing. He fought on the same event as his friend Sonny Bill Williams in February 2013. He won his first fight by knockout in the first round.
In January 2014, Cooper fought Warren Tresidder and won by TKO (Technical Knockout) in the fourth round. He was scheduled to fight again in January 2015 but had to pull out.
Quade Cooper's Personal Life
Quade Cooper is the cousin of two other rugby players, Sean Maitland and Cheyenne Campbell. He has been in relationships with famous people, including swimmer Stephanie Rice and model Laura Dundovic.
Becoming an Australian Citizen
In May 2016, Cooper said he was dropped from the Australian Sevens team because he was not an Australian citizen. This is a rule for playing in the Olympics. He had been traveling on a New Zealand passport while playing for Australia.
In July 2021, Cooper shared that he still couldn't become an Australian citizen, even though he had lived in Australia since he was 13. On September 14, 2021, after Cooper rejoined the Wallabies and helped them win a big game, the Australian Immigration Minister announced that it would be easier for very talented people like him to get citizenship. Cooper passed his Australian citizenship test in December 2021. He officially became an Australian citizen on February 24, 2022.
Awards and Honours
- 2005 Australian Schoolboys national rugby union team tour
- 2006 Australian Schoolboys national rugby union team tour
- 2007 Australia national under-19 rugby union team
- 2007 Queensland Reds rugby union team début
- 2008 Australia national rugby union team début
- 2010 Investec Bank Super 14 Australian player of the series
- 2011 Super Rugby Champion
- 2011 Tri Nations Champion
See also
In Spanish: Quade Cooper para niños
