It was widely reported on Friday morning that Quade Cooper’s much mooted move to Toulon had been confirmed, after the picture on the right (showing him in a Toulon shirt shaking president Mourad Boudjellal’s hand) appeared on the French club’s Facebook page, next to a message that said the Australian fly-half had agreed a two year deal.
Cooper was in the city to watch Toulon’s European Rugby Champions Cup victory over Leinster at the weekend, but it has since been claimed by the Reds management that he is yet to make a definite decision over his future.
CEO of the Queensland club, Jim Carmichael, revealed that he had lunch with Cooper on Friday, and that talks between the franchise and their star playmaker were still ongoing.
“[We had] a great lunch – very happy that the time has allowed Quade and I to get close to a position that satisfies us both,” Carmichael told AAP. “There is more conversation to be had and this is the last time I’m commenting on this until our discussions are concluded.”
Cooper’s manager Khoder Nasser also said to AAP that the Wallaby out-half would decide on his future over the next one to two weeks, after the ARU’s changes to their policy on selecting overseas-based players.
“Quade’s deciphering everything,” said Nasser. “To be honest, he was deciphering everything before the ARU’s rules came out, regardless. He’ll make his call over the next week or two weeks.”
All of which makes Toulon’s decision to post that photo on Facebook and announce the news of Cooper’s signing, rather baffling.