Rugby: Quade a lad on his own again

Quade Cooper. Photo / Getty Images

New Zealand-born Quade Cooper and his Australian swimmer sweetheart have split after just over a year together.

In the past few weeks, rumours of a break-up have dogged Cooper and Stephanie Rice, who got together in August last year.

But this week, Rice, a triple Olympic gold medallist, confirmed she had parted ways with the Wallabies five-eighths.

"Stephanie has officially split with Quade and will be focusing 100 per cent on her Olympic preparation," Rice's manager, Titus Day, told Confidential.

Australian newspaper the Herald Sun reported the split had "been coming for a while" and that the couple both moved out of Rice's $1.26 million, four-bedroom house in the upmarket Brisbane suburb of Paddington in October.

Cooper reportedly moved into his $880,000 home in Bulimba.

The couple are believed to have always intended to keep their split under wraps until after Christmas.

Cooper could not be reached for comment on the separation.

He is staying with his family in New Zealand for the holiday break.

He has been sharing his experiences of home online since he landed in the country on Christmas Eve.

He spent Christmas with his family in his hometown of Tokoroa before heading up to Kaikohe on Boxing Day to catch up with more relatives.

"Today at my Lil cuzies house I took his motor bike for a spin ;) I know what I want next Christmas :)" he said on Twitter that day.

The next day, Cooper said his grandmother had shown him all the mail fans had sent her.

"One young girl send a photo of me an her & her pet lamb named quade. Top support :)"

He also posted a picture of himself having a "nice relaxing dip" in hot springs in Northland. "Damn they stink but feel sooo good!"