Cooper confirms Toulon departure

Tue, Jul 12, 2016, 8:40 PM
Beth Newman
by Beth Newman
Quade Cooper is coming back from Toulon. Photo: Getty Images
Quade Cooper is coming back from Toulon. Photo: Getty Images

Quade Cooper is officially leaving Toulon, with the playmaker confirming his departure from the French club overnight.

The 58-Test Wallabies flyhalf has struggled for consistent game time in Toulon, with rumours of his imminent return to Australia swirling for months.

After an attempt to make the Australian Sevens team for the Olympics fell through, speculation only heightened that Cooper was unhappy and wanted to return to Australia.

Quade Cooper could yet feature for the Wallabies this season. Photo: Getty ImagesThe 28-year-old had a second year option in his contract but decided against exercising it, instead opting to cut his French sojourn short. 

Cooper played 105 Super Rugby matches for the Reds over a nine-year Super Rugby career.

He tweeted early on Wednesday morning about the decision, in French, writing, "Bye thank you for everything... My brothers and the family I have now in Toulon I will miss... too soon."

While the flyhalf did not confirm his destination, both the Queensland Reds and Melbourne Rebels have publicly indicated their interest in the mercurial 10 and he did tweet earlier in the week about returning to Super Rugby, in the wake of Jarryd Hayne's Fiji Sevens omission.

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