Australia will be without Quade Cooper for its Bledisloe Cup opener against New Zealand on Saturday night after the exciting playmaker lost his appeal against suspension.Australia's appeal against fly-half Quade Cooper's two-match ban has been turned down by a review panel.The Wallabies appealed the ban on the basis that it was a comparatively harsh punishment compared to those handed out to similar offences by two South African players.They had been hoping the penalty would be reduced to one match, but after a five-hour hearing the SANZAR officials opted to uphold the initial ban. Meanwhile Cooper was cited in the Wallabies' 30-13 trouncing of South Africa in Brisbane last weekend for a dangerous tackle on Springbok Morne Steyn.Cooper says he is disappointed with the decision.Coach Robbie Deans believes Cooper had a fair hearing."The critical message out of this for Quade is, and for any subsequent players who find themselves in this circumstance is, that once you get into this arena and you're in this predicament, you lose control of your own destiny," he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment