Quade Cooper apologises for Twitter rant

Rose Donohoe
Jul 27, 2015, updated Jul 27, 2015

Wallaby star Quade Cooper has apologised for a foul-mouthed 4.49am Twitter rant after Australia beat Argentina in Mendoza.

Cooper has said he was responding to personal criticism, after he was started on the bench in the championship match.

The playmaker was brought on early in the second half, only to be be sin-binned for a late and high tackle on Nicolas Sanchez.

At 4.49am Mendoza-time, Cooper tweeted: “Invite me to you’re next team discussion then ask me how much I give a f*** about your team selection? Zero f***s given”.

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The tweet was removed two hours later, but not before causing fresh scrutiny about whether there were problems within the Wallabies camp.

Cooper said it couldn’t be further from the truth and he was reacting to a personal attack from an unknown party.

“As footballers, we are still human beings. We’ve still got feelings and I bit back at some criticism and I used some language that probably shouldn’t have been used,” the playmaker said.

“I’m disappointed in myself for getting trapped in that.

“It’s happened to me many times and I’ve been able to brush it off but this one time it got to me.”

He said he was proud of the current Wallabies and felt he needed to defend them.

“This team is doing some great things; we’ve got a great culture we’re building as a team.

“We’ve got some great players and people and we’re moving in the right direction and there are people on the outside trying to hammer us, still, when we’re doing well and it kind of got to me.

“I should never have let it but that shows the passion that I have for this team.”

When asked if there would be any repercussions, coach Michael Cheika said no.

“People make mistakes,” he said.

“I’ve certainly made a few in my time and that’s all it is.”

Cooper has since tweeted an apology.

This is not the first time Cooper has been in trouble for his social media activity.

In 2012, he was fined $60,000 and suspended for three games after criticising the Wallabies for its “toxic environment”.