Quade Cooper says the moment he was presented with his first Wallabies jersey was the highlight of his distinguished international career.
Cooper, 30, has won 70 caps for Australia and competed in two World Cups in 2011 and 2015, but his debut against Italy in 2008 is his fondest memory in the green and gold.
“The obvious one is when you get that first opportunity to put that jersey on,” Cooper told This Is Your Sporting Life.
“We were in Italy in a small town called Padua in 2008 and we got told that we were going to debut that week, so I got pretty excited.
“You get it presented to you the day before the game and you give the jersey back.
“When you come into the change room and see that jersey hanging there and you go out and warm up.
“The moment you come back into the sheds and you put that jersey on, it’s kind of like when you get your first pay cheque, it’s very similar.
“All of the stuff you have dreamed about and worked so hard to achieve, all the sacrifices I’ve made to my family and my friends, it’s all coming to fruition.”
Cooper joined the Melbourne Rebels for the 2019 Super Rugby season after making 118 appearances for the Queensland Reds between 2006 and 2018.
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Listen to Quade Cooper’s chat on This Is Your Sporting Life with Peter Donegan in the player below