Australian playmaker Quade Cooper made his return from a serious Achilles injury on Saturday but only lasted until the first stoppage in play when he was substituted.
Cooper was a surprise name in Kintetsu Liners’ starting line-up for their game with NEC Green Rockets after rupturing his Achilles tendon last year.
World Cup doubts
He was a doubt for the Rugby World Cup in September but has worked incredibly hard to get back fit ahead of the global tournament.
The 35-year-old released a video on social media during the week with him back running, hinting that he was closing in on a return.
He said in the post: “Coming back from injury is never easy, but it’s an opportunity to grow mentally, physically, and emotionally. From the day I got injured I knew I was ready for the challenges this journey would provide.”
However, Kintetsu shocked everyone by naming him in the XV for their Japan Rugby League One clash over the weekend.
Loophole
There was a reason for Cooper’s earlier-than-expected comeback, though, with his Japanese club exploiting a loophole which will make him available for the end of campaign shake-up.
Competition rules stipulate that players must feature in at least one regular season game or else they won’t be able to take part in the two-legged ‘Replacement Battle’, their official title for the promotion/relegation play-off.
The Wallaby fly-half’s 60-second cameo now means that he can play in those games should he return to full fitness when those matches take place in May.
Kintetsu have only won once in 16 games this season and will face Division Two pacesetters, the unbeaten Urayasu D-Rocks, for a place in Division One for the 2023/24 campaign.
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They succumbed 43-26 to the Green Rockets on Saturday and will need Cooper’s quality if they are to avoid relegation to the second tier.