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ESPN staff
Quade Cooper played 70 Test for the Wallabies, but that apparently is not enough to earn you Australian citizenship.
The New Zealand-born Cooper took to Twitter on Tuesday to detail his latest failed attempt, calling out the Australian Government’s Department of Home Affairs and the attending public servant, Shannon.
“Awkward moment @ausgov refuse your citizenship applications (again) [sic] wearing the green and gold 70 times apparently is not enough these days.. cheers Shannon,” Cooper wrote on Tuesday afternoon.
Awkward moment @ausgov refuse your citizenship applications (again)🥺😂 wearing the green and gold 70 times apparently is not enough these days.. 🤔
Cheers Shannon pic.twitter.com/jMSa1moWsA— Quade Cooper (@QuadeCooper) July 13, 2021
Cooper posted pictures of his citizenship “refusal” to accompany the post, with the document saying he had not “satisfied any of the partial exemptions set out in subsection 22 of the application”.
Cooper was born in New Zealand and spent the first 13 years of his life across the ditch, before moving to Brisbane where he later starred as a schoolboy rugby player at Churchie.
From there he graduated to the Queensland Reds, winning a Super Rugby title in 2011, and was a mainstay of the Wallabies before a very public falling out with then-coach Robbie Deans in 2012.
Cooper was later fined $[AU]40,000 and handed a suspended three-match ban for comments that the Wallabies environment was “toxic” and later apologised to both the team and coaching staff.
He later returned to the national fold under Michael Cheika, making the squad for the 2015 World Cup in England.
Cooper then spent time at Toulon in France before returning to the Reds. But he was later banished to Brisbane club rugby under Brad Thorn before a switch to Melbourne Rebels in 2019 saw him make a final crack at a third World Cup.
But he missed out on selection, instead heading to Japan to join Kintetsu Liners in the Top League.
Cooper is now back at home in Brisbane, where his fight for Australian citizenship looks set to continue.