Rugby: Give Quade a break, Dagg urges fans

Quade Cooper was booed whenever he touched the ball. Photo / Getty Images

Even All Black rivals are getting sick and tired of Kiwi fans jeering Wallaby playmaker Quade Cooper.

Playing his first match in Christchurch since he was a fresh-faced youngster, Cooper was roundly booed every time he touched the ball in the Reds' 38-9 Super rugby qualifying loss to the Crusaders on Saturday night.

The mercurial 38-test five-eighths wore the tag of Public Enemy No1 during the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand following a running on-field battle with All Black skipper and Christchurch favourite Richie McCaw.

And a packed AMI Stadium crowd repeated the abuse of Cooper.

But All Black and Crusaders fullback Israel Dagg was quick to plead with fans to show more respect after the four-try thumping.

"Great win by the boys but please peeps give @QuadeCooper a break!! Disappointed by the boos #move on," Dagg tweeted.

Cooper never managed to make an impact against the Crusaders' brick-wall defence but didn't appear to be perturbed by the jeers and finished with three penalties from four attempts.

While he was overlooked by Robbie Deans for the Wallabies' 2-1 series loss to the Lions, the 25-year-old is set to return as new coach Ewen McKenzie's playmaker for the August 17 Bledisloe Cup clash in Sydney.

- AAP