Hes grown up Why Rennie picked Quade after four years in Wallabies wilderness

“He’s certainly earned it. I can’t speak highly enough of him,” Rennie said.

“We had a good chat with Quade prior to him coming in (to the squad). A lot of my knowledge of Quade was what I had read in the paper previously. But he’s been outstanding.

“He’s earned the opportunity and as I said, we’re picking on what we know and what we see. He certainly deserves it.”

Rennie also insists this is not the Wallabies selectors hitting the panic button after a disappointing Bledisloe Cup series for Noah Lolesio, who was forced to fill the hole left by an injury-plagued James O’Connor.

“There’s certainly no panic. We’re basing selections on what we see. Some guys are selected on recent Test matches and for Quade, it’s been training,” Rennie said.

“He’s trained really well, he was very close to selection last week and got the nod this week. There is certainly no panic. We are trying to grow our game, and we think he’s the right man to help get us around the park.”

Rennie is satisfied that Cooper is match fit, despite not having played a professional match since April.

The 33-year-old played 60 minutes for a Wallabies ‘B’ team against the Western Force on Saturday and, according to Rennie, passed the final test with flying colours.

But Rennie had a message for Wallabies fans expecting to see a return of the flamboyant game which shot Cooper to stardom a decade ago.

“Quade will play within a structure. And that’s really important for us,” Rennie said.

“But as I mentioned, he gives us balance. A really smart kicking game and a quality skill set and then, the experience. If we just get into a straight arm wrestle with the Boks, they’re tough to beat.

“They’re a very good defensive side, a solid kicking game and they’re happy to play without the ball. We will get a bit of ball in our hands and how we use that will be important.”

Above all, Rennie believes Cooper has matured.

He didn’t know the former Reds superstar well prior to his arrival in camp but can vividly recall two matches he played for Queensland against Rennie’s Chiefs in 2012 and 2013 which showcased his match-winning potential.

“We won it in 2012 and 2013 but we lost both years to the Reds and Quade carved us up both times,” Rennie said.

“It was a wee while ago, obviously, but his ability to play on top of defences off quick ball and make smart decisions really stood out. I know he was enemy number one for a long time from the All Blacks supporters, but I always had a lot of respect for his skill set.

“I’ve got to know him over the last few weeks, and he’s grown up, he’s matured and is desperate for another opportunity.

“We look forward to seeing him in the jersey again on the weekend.”

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