Mike Cooper fired up by ‘Pom’ tag and being overlooked ahead of England Test return
‘THE POM’ is ready to rock once more at Test level, his desire to play for England fuelled by the jibes from opponents and team-mates.
For Mike Cooper admits what he heard during his NRL stint made him more eager to play for his country.
So did being overlooked by former coach Wayne Bennett, despite playing what he thought was the best rugby of his career.
Warrington star Cooper earns his first England cap since 2016 in France tomorrow – he played against the Combined Nations All Stars in June but caps were not awarded.
And his time at St George-Illawarra Dragons heightened his patriotism.
Cooper recalled: “My team-mates used to call me, ‘The Pom.’
“Gareth Widdop and I were there at the time and we were getting called, ‘Pommy this, Pommy that. English this, English that.’
“Gaz had the Aussie accent as he’d lived there a long time but it changed even on car journeys.
“We’d train at St George-Illawarra, then he’d get in with me and start talking like he’s in Halifax again.
“I’d be like, ‘Where have you been for the last three hours?’
“It was all harmless banter but it just added a bit more fuel to the fire, it spurred me on even more.
“I took it as a positive and down there, it was almost like I was playing an international every week.
“I had a good four or five years where I was playing for England on a regular basis but for one thing or another, it hadn’t worked out since 2016 – I thought I was playing my best rugby at that stage as well.
“That was frustrating but what can you do? You can only play the best you can but if Wayne Bennett at the time didn’t think I was good enough, that was his call.”
Now Cooper is back in the England fold, he will go through a run of three coaches in three games.
His last one at Warrington saw Steve Price take charge, now it is Shaun Wane, when he returns to the Wolves, he will be under Daryl Powell – and there has been no time off yet.
And taking on a stronger French side will mean England have to be stronger, which will help in their World Cup quest.
Cooper, 33, added: “That’s massively important. If we play France on a regular basis, the closer the games are, the better it is for everyone. That can help us.
“I’ve been ticking over training-wise and I’m still frustrated at how Warrington’s season finished. It took four or five weeks to really sink in.
“Playing in Perpignan is hostile and that’s what you want. You also can’t understand what they’re saying, which helps!”