RUGBY:AUSTRALIA OUTHALF Quade Cooper left for South Africa yesterday for the Wallabies Tri-Nations matches against the world champions with his playing future still in limbo.

The 22-year-old playmaker has been in negotiations with the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) on a new contract, but has also been offered a lucrative deal by Sydney-based National Rugby League club Parramatta Eels to switch codes, local media have reported. Cooper has been made the linchpin of Wallabies coach Robbie Deans’s attack and is seen as an important cog if Australia are to challenge at next year’s World Cup in New Zealand.