At his best, and mostly beside his great mate and halfback Will Genia, Cooper made up one of the greatest attacking (the distinction is important) double-acts Australian rugby has seen, one which helped the Reds to the Super Rugby title six years ago against a Crusaders team featuring one B Thorn.
If Genia was the fire-works' fuse, Cooper provided the bang; his knack at seeing and putting players into space via pass or kick was something the Wallabies haven't found since.
The Wallabies' incumbent No10, Bernard Foley, is a far better defender and probably more consistent player, but the Waratahs man doesn't come close to the flair Cooper possessed.
Cooper's last of his 70 tests was five months ago against Italy. A recall to Michael Cheika's team seems unlikely. Last year, Cheika gambled on the idea of playing Cooper at first-five and Foley at second-five, but that was quickly abandoned, and now, not to put too fine a point on it, so has Cooper.
The man born in Auckland and raised in Tokoroa before his move to Australia as a teenager has often had an awkward relationship with the New Zealand rugby-supporting public, a result mainly of what was considered a cheap shot on a prone Richie McCaw during the All Blacks' Bledisloe Cup defeat in Hong Kong in 2011 for which he never apologised or was sanctioned over.
His over-the-top victory celebrations in McCaw's face when the referee blew the final whistle in that test was the final straw for many, but probably hidden amidst the vitriol and jeers that Cooper received on his arrival for the World Cup here later that year was respect for a player who always had the ability to turn a test his team's way.
A lesser player would never have received the attention. He had his on-field flaws, no doubt about it – he rarely defended in the front line off a set piece, for instance – but he could do things with the ball that many couldn't and now that he faces an uncertain future that at least should be celebrated.
