Not distracted: Adam Ashley-Cooper
The Wallabies insist that the mood in their camp has not been affected by the controversy surrounding Quade Cooper's latest outbursts.
Cooper, who was left in Australia to nurse a knee injury, recently described the atmosphere in the Wallaby camp as "toxic" but head coach Robbie Deans and experienced utility back Adam Ashley-Cooper are both adamant that their preparations for Saturday's Rugby Championship Test against the Springboks are going ahead smoothly.
"This won't be a distraction for us," Ashley-Cooper said.
"There's a great buzz in the squad and we're excited to be here. We've had two good wins in this competition and we feel we're building as a group."
Prop Benn Robinson, who is set to win his 50th Test cap this weekend, said there's a positive mood in the squad.
"The time that we've spent here, it's really brought the team together," Robinson said.
"Spending the extra few days here has created a very strong environment and it's reflected in our training and just the general feel around the squad."
Deans said he would be happy to meet with Cooper and discuss his concerns but wasn't prepared to comment on the player's criticism of the Wallabies' game plan.
"There hasn't been any distractions for the group to be fair and I'd rather not comment," said Deans.
"Absolutely," Deans answered when asked whether Cooper would be welcomed back into the Wallaby frame.
"We care about our players," he said.
"You're only young once and you only get this opportunity in the game once and we want the best for all of them."
"Robust conversation is a critical part of the game."
Comments
firepower says...
bring back James O'Connor, he's the best man for the role
Posted 19:17 27th September 2012
rugby_rockstar says...
All this flak will probably bring the wallabies closer and squeeze an extra 15% out of them during the test match on Saturday. Boks beware.
Posted 10:44 27th September 2012
Jediboy says...
Very petulant and unprofessional behaviour from QC.
No surprise there then.
Posted 09:47 27th September 2012
PREEST says...
I'm sure Quade is embarrassed by his heat of the moment comments. Notice he made them while the team was off in SA and he was back at home. If I was a player on the team, I wouldn't take kindly to those kind of remarks. He's entitled to his opinion but he doesn't need to damage wallaby moral by announcing his feelings on public social media, it's highly unprofessional as a player. It's his young age. You have problems in the camp, you deal with it internally. The team doesn't need their dramas in the open for all the rugby world to know. Well done Quade.
Posted 07:42 27th September 2012