Rugby: Quade Cooper joins Sky commentary team for All Blacks v France test
In a move that will win universal approval from New Zealanders, Sky is to broadcast the All Blacks’ July tests free on TV3.
And in a move that may not win major approval from New Zealanders, Sky has hired former Wallaby Quade Cooper as a commentator to provide expert analysis for the first test of the year, against France.
Cooper, who was born in Tokoroa but played 80 times for Australia, became a much-derided figure in New Zealand after he was involved in a years-long running spat with former All Blacks captain Richie McCaw.
The bad blood between the two began in Hong Kong in 2010 when McCaw lashed out with his boot while trying to get up and caught Cooper’s shin with his studs.
From there, Cooper kneed McCaw in the head in their next encounter which led to the Wallaby first five-eighths becoming a derided figure in New Zealand, where his every touch or action at the 2011 World Cup was roundly booed – a scenario that continued throughout his on-off test career that ended in late 2022.
His assigned role of pantomime villain always felt a little overdone and gratuitous and said more about New Zealanders’ need to use rugby dominance to mask their insecurities about Australia’s economic, cultural and lifestyle superiority than it did the perceived crime Cooper committed.
Sky has chosen to use him for the opening game because Cooper has not only shown himself, through media interviews and his own channels, to be an astute analyst, but he also has first-hand experience of playing under new All Blacks coach Dave Rennie.
Cooper fell into the rugby wilderness in 2018, but his career was rescued by the arrival of Rennie as Wallabies coach in 2020, who installed him as a regular in his preferred match-day 23.
Sky’s head of sport content, Gary Burcett, says: “We’ve assembled one of the strongest All Blacks broadcast teams in the country, and with the addition of Quade Cooper and an expanded focus on social coverage, we’re excited to bring fans closer to the All Blacks than ever before.”
Sky has split the commentating duties so that Jeff McTainsh will call the French test, Grant Nisbett the Italian game and Tony Johnson the clash against Ireland at Eden Park.
What’s notable is that Sky appears to be repositioning the mostly untried and little-known McTainsh as its No 1 commentator, with the Herald believing that he will be leading commentary of the Greatest Rivalry Tour in South Africa.
This comes after McTainsh was the sole Sky commentator used during Super Rugby’s Super Round in April.
Just as contracting Cooper to analyse a test constitutes an audience risk, so to some extent does the promotion of McTainsh ahead of household names Nisbett and Johnson, who are revered veterans of the industry and who come with high viewer recognition and approval.
Sky’s audience is thought to be mostly older, rural and conservative and therefore the familiarity of Johnson and Nisbett is a means to play to their expectations.
But McTainsh, who has steadily seen his workload increase in recent seasons where he has commentated on a few tests, has been a solid if not spectacular performer.
Sky has confirmed it will be using the usual stable of experts, presenters and analysts during July – which includes Justin Marshall, Jeff Wilson, Mils Muliana, Laura McGoldrick and Kirstie Stanway, as well as Stephen Donald and Angus Ta’avao.
Gregor Paul is one of New Zealand’s most respected rugby writers and columnists. He has won multiple awards for journalism and written several books about sport.