Australia playmaker Quade Cooper has thrown his hat in the ring for the Wallaby No. 10 jersey to face the Springboks in the Rugby Championship.

The Wallabies will face the Boks on July 8 at Loftus Versfeld, as both teams kick off their 2023 season in preparation for the Rugby World Cup in France.

The Pretoria Test will be Eddie Jones’ first back as Australia head coach, and hoping to make it a winning return is the 35-year-old Cooper.

Cooper was in a race against time to avoid being ruled out of this year’s World Cup after a long-term achilles injury, but the veteran flyhalf reckons he is on track and ready to fight for the No. 10 jersey.

He recently played for the Barbarians under Jones and is confident he is ready for a return to the Test arena, if selected, after completing another Wallabies training camp.

“I felt confident a while back,” Cooper was quoted in the media Down Under this week. “Getting back on the field, I was grateful for the opportunity that I had with being able to play two games for my club… and then also go over and play in the Barbarians game against the World XV, which was a tremendous game.

“It was a very physical game with some of the best players in the world. So, to have that type of preparation coming back from an injury, I’m truly grateful for that.”

He added: “I 100% want to wear the No. 10 jersey [again]. But I also know that the other boys are in that same mindset.

“So, the respect aspect there is to compete as hard as possible for each jersey but also support our teammates if they’re selected.

“I just focus on doing what I can to be the best that I can in these camps, and let the powers that be look after those types of decisions.”