Quade Cooper Not Retired, Targets 2027 Home World Cup

Quade Cooper in action for the Wallabies with the boot in 2023

Wallabies turn to veterans as Cooper, Foley and O'Connor target 2027 World Cup.

Les Kiss faces fly-half dilemma as Cooper eyes Wallabies return...

Wallabies veteran Quade Cooper, now 38, says he’s targeting a spot in next year’s home World Cup when he’ll be 39.

The 80-cap fly-half took a coaching job with Japanese side Kintetsu Liners for the 2025–26 season, leading many to think he’d retired.

But Cooper told The Australian on Saturday that he never quit. The playmaker was surprisingly left out of Australia’s 2023 World Cup squad by then-coach Eddie Jones, and he’s not done yet.

“The thing is I never retired, I just had other opportunities that presented themselves and at the time when I was deciding do I want to keep playing, I was very mentally tired,” he said.

“So am I interested? I mean, who wouldn't be, it's a home World Cup and I still know I can play.

“So, of course, I'm interested, along with every other ex-player and every other up-and-coming young guy. I'm sure that everybody wants a piece of it in some way.”

Australia are short on experience at No.10. In the past year alone, former coach Joe Schmidt  who stepped down after the Italy Test tried nine different players in the fly-half role.

New boss Les Kiss has named three fly-halves in his squad for this month’s back-to-back Tests against Japan: Carter Gordon, Ben Donaldson and Declan Meredith.

“The first two Tests, I've got three 10s that will lead the way for us,” Kiss told reporters.

“Whatever I do after that is another question, but for now I'm just focused on what I have to do with this team, and it's important that my team know that.”

Cooper isn’t the only veteran hoping to make it back for the World Cup.

Bernard Foley, with 76 caps, and James O’Connor, with 68, are both said to be chasing deals with Australian Super Rugby teams next season. The idea is to put themselves in the frame for selection.