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GOLD COAST, Australia (AP) — Australia flyhalf Quade Cooper vows to continue his attacking brand of rugby Saturday in his first test on New Zealand soil, despite the expectation of some extra attention from All Blacks captain Richie McCaw.
McCaw was angered by an incident in last year's Australia-New Zealand test in Hong Kong in which Cooper shoved McCaw's head after the Wallabies got the match-winning try.
McCaw took every chance during the Super Rugby season to pay back the Queensland Reds playmaker for his perceived lack of respect.
Cooper had the last laugh when the Reds beat McCaw's Canterbury Crusaders 18-13 in the Super 15 final.
Training with the Wallabies squad Tuesday ahead of the Bledisloe Cup opener, Cooper said he hoped the matter was over, but was ready for more attention.
"He's already said 'hello' to me a few times this year in the Super 15 so there's no real reason to reacquaint there," he said.
"It's out on the rugby field and there's a lot of things that are going to go on, and there's 14 other blokes to worry about out on that field so I won't be concentrating on one bloke."
Australia opened its international season with an upset loss to Samoa in Sydney on July 17, before rebounding to beat a below-strength South Africa 39-20 the following weekend in the opening match of the Tri-Nations tournament.
New Zealand thrashed South Africa 40-7 last weekend and is set to be close to full strength for Saturday's match at Eden Park, where the All Blacks have not lost a test in 17 years.
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McCaw was angered by an incident in last year's Australia-New Zealand test in Hong Kong in which Cooper shoved McCaw's head after the Wallabies got the match-winning try.
McCaw took every chance during the Super Rugby season to pay back the Queensland Reds playmaker for his perceived lack of respect.
Cooper had the last laugh when the Reds beat McCaw's Canterbury Crusaders 18-13 in the Super 15 final.
Training with the Wallabies squad Tuesday ahead of the Bledisloe Cup opener, Cooper said he hoped the matter was over, but was ready for more attention.
"He's already said 'hello' to me a few times this year in the Super 15 so there's no real reason to reacquaint there," he said.
"It's out on the rugby field and there's a lot of things that are going to go on, and there's 14 other blokes to worry about out on that field so I won't be concentrating on one bloke."
Australia opened its international season with an upset loss to Samoa in Sydney on July 17, before rebounding to beat a below-strength South Africa 39-20 the following weekend in the opening match of the Tri-Nations tournament.
New Zealand thrashed South Africa 40-7 last weekend and is set to be close to full strength for Saturday's match at Eden Park, where the All Blacks have not lost a test in 17 years.
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