At least Quade Cooper will always be welcome to have a roll-up and a hot cuppa at his Nana's lawn bowls club in Northland.
While many All Blacks fans continue to verbally harangue him as payback for his antics against Richie McCaw over the last year, the Tokoroa-born-and raised Wallabies playmaker insists some New Zealanders are still lobbing the love his way, reported STUFF website.
Yesterday the first five-eighth was bombarded with questions about his dull form, how he handles the heat from fans and the pressure ahead of Sunday night's World Cup semifinal against the All Blacks at Eden Park.
So when Cooper saw the chance to salute his supporters, he pounced.
Well-wishers, he noted, have fired him "good luck" messages from Tokoroa to Northland - including the bowling mates of his grandmother Millie Cooper who lives Kaikohe.
"She sends me a lot of text messages that all her friends from her locals bowls club are right behind me, so that gives you a very heart-warming boost of confidence."
While he denied the constant jeering during matches has affected his confidence, it is obvious Cooper has struggled to recapture the form he displayed for the Queensland Reds in the Super Rugby competition.
His fancy footwork and tricky passes have rarely been sighted at the World Cup and after it was yesterday ascertained that fullback Kurtley Beale was still in doubt with a hamstring strain, Cooper copped a grilling.
And if the questions weren't being directed at the first-five, teammates James Horwill and Rocky Elsom were forced to defend the bloke sitting beside them.
For his part, Cooper was adamant the fans' invective was not responsible for his dip in form.
"Obviously I know they (the boos) are directed at me from everything that has been written, but it is not a distraction. We are in New Zealand and we are going to cop it a lot more than (playing against) any other team."
When it was also put to the No 10 that former Wallabies wing David Campese had demanded he be more of a team player, Cooper retorted: "Coming from a guy like that - I tend to take my advice from my teammates and my coaches. So, cheers for the advice Campo but I have a lot of guys around me being supportive."
At least there was some goodwill from the enemy camp with All Blacks back Sonny Bill Williams, who is also member of sports manager Khoder Nasser's stable, saying his mate should accept the flak as a compliment.
Ad Feedback "I think he's handled himself pretty well, it's a sign of respect as well. When people are hating on him that much it just shows how a good a talent he is."
- Stuff