27 Aug 2010

Cooper's headspace "sweet"

2:57 pm on 27 August 2010

Still undecided about his future, the Wallabies first five eighth Quade Cooper has broken his silence to declare his headspace "sweet" for Sunday's Tri-Nations showdown with the Springboks in Pretoria.

Cooper, who is wrestling with a decision on whether to jump codes and join NRL club Parramatta, will return to number 10 at Loftus Versfeld after a two-match ban for a dangerous tackle in the only change to Australia's run-on side.

Reds team-mate Anthony Faingaa drops to the bench and Matt Giteau moves to inside centre.

The 22-year-old Cooper says having two weeks off was in some ways a good thing for the body.

Just getting a bit of extra time to freshen up and then get ready was the biggest key for him and he says as far as headspace, he's sweet.

The Australian Rugby Union had hoped to lock Cooper into a deal covering at least next year's Rugby World Cup before the Wallabies left for the two-match tour of the Republic, but their hottest property says he's still weighing up his options.