Why Wallabies star Quade Cooper is giving advice to young English Test rival
Quade Cooper believes there is no conflict of interest in the relationship between England coach Eddie Jones and Wallabies centre Samu Kerevi, and believes such a tie-up is in fact good for the game.
Kerevi plays his club football for Japanese side Suntory Sungoliath, where Jones has held a long-term consultancy role.
Ahead of the first Test between the Wallabies and England in Perth, Cooper said he and many other players "want (their) peers and counterparts to flourish".
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"We're all here to help each other grow - we play a competitive sport, but at the end of the day we play the same sport (and) we want the sport to flourish," he said.
"We want our peers, our counterparts to flourish as well.
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"If you have the mindset of trying to hold things back from other people, and you're trying to stunt someone else's growth, for me that's just such a negative way to live your life."
Cooper said he would be open to helping other young rivals flourish in their own game, and had even started to do so.
Samu Kerevi and Quade Cooper of the Wallabies celebrate a try during The Rugby Championship match against Argentina last October. Photo: Jono Searle Getty
"If I can help someone progress, or someone can help me progress, that's how I want to be. Those are the kinds of friendships and relationships I want.
"From my point of view anyway, it's great. It's a great way to be able to toss information back and forth and, and if it can help, or it can challenge someone, then great."
The man likely to play as Cooper's opposite in the first Test on Saturday, Marcus Smith, revealed Cooper had become a bit of a mentor since joining English club Harlequins.
Cooper said Smith started following him on Instagram, and the pair had traded messages.
"Marcus happened to follow me on Instagram, and we ended up just trading a few messages. I'm a big fan of the way that he plays," he said.
Marcus Smith of England kicks upfield for England against the Barbarians at Twickenham Stadium last week. Photo: David Rogers Getty
"He's a great talent, and if I get the opportunity to play against him, it will be something that I'll enjoy. Hopefully we can just continue to build that friendship over the coming years.
"When I was young, you couldn't just send Carlos Spencer an Instagram DM and have a chat to him, you couldn't get in contact with these guys - everything was kind of out of reach."
Cooper is expected to be named to play at fly-half when the Wallabies team to face England is named on Thursday.
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