Cooper ready for Queensland return

AUSTRALIA stand-off Quade Cooper, having recovered from a serious knee injury, will make his first start in seven months when the Queensland Reds take on the Lions of South Africa in a Super Rugby clash in Brisbane on Saturday.

Cooper, capped 35 times for Australia, has not played since he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament during the Wallabies’ victory in the third-place play-off at the rugby World Cup in October. “It has been a long six-plus months on the sideline and I know I have done everything I can to tick all the boxes during my rehab,” the 24-year-old said. “Everything which could be done has been done and the rest is now out of my hands. I’ll be going out on Saturday knowing I’ve done everything within my power to be prepared both physically and mentally.”