Cooper expected to stay with Wallabies

Wallabies star Quade Cooper is expected to announce this week he is staying with
Australian rugby.
It is believed Cooper has agreed to a two-year extension of his contract with the
Australian Rugby Union and decided against a switch to NRL club Parramatta.
The deal will keep him in a Wallabies jersey for next year's Rugby World Cup and
through until at least the end of 2012.
Parramatta chief executive Paul Osborne said he was resigned to Cooper staying in
rugby, having not heard from the Wallabies star for a number of weeks.
Before the Australian rugby team's trip to South Africa, Cooper had been heavily
linked with the Eels, who reportedly tabled an offer of around $1.5 million for the
five-eighth to become the club's key playmaker from next season.
Osborne said the same money was still there despite the club announcing the signing
of former representative forwards Reni Maitua and Carl Webb during the week.
"I think he'll stay in rugby I haven't heard from him for a few weeks," Osborne told
AAP.
"I always thought he'd stay in rugby." Cooper was close to some of Australia's
best and worst moments in Saturday's historic Bloemfontein victory over South
Africa, at one stage having to watch a pass from eventual hero Kurtley Beale sail
over his head and roll over the dead ball line.
"You sort of think what more could go wrong and then the falcon on KB (Beale), so
things were starting to build up," Cooper said.
"We had a yellow card (on Saia Faingaa), backs were against the wall but the
attitude and intent that everyone showed to push through and come out the right end
of it is what special teams are made of." Cooper will play his first Test against
the All Blacks at ANZ Stadium next Saturday night.
"Coming up against the All Blacks for my first time is going to be great but as a
group we're really looking forward to it," he said.