Wallabies coach Michael Cheika says he will pull out all stops to keep Quade Cooper playing in Australia despite news he would be unveiled by French club Toulon as early as Monday. 
Cooper signed a two-year deal with the Top 14 club in   April but tried to back out of the contract in the hope of signing a new deal with Australian rugby - with one eye on playing sevens rugby at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
But a statement from Toulon on the eve of the World Cup final confirmed Cooper would be appearing for the club on Monday, appearing to dash any hopes that he would return home.
The Queensland playmaker sits on 58 Tests, two short of the magic 60-Test benchmark that allows players to play offshore without affecting their Wallabies eligibility.
He played just once this World Cup, laying on three tries in the pool stage rout of Uruguay before being an unused substitute in the two-point quarter-final win over Scotland. Cheika said he had taken no notice of the implications of Cooper not making it to the 60-Test mark, but made a strong case for keeping him in Australian rugby. "You can't be playing with that type of stuff, that's not what [the rule change on Test availability] is designed for," Cheika said.
"But we'll be doing everything we can to keep Quade playing in Australia. They're private discussions at this stage."
Cooper certainly appeared happy inside the Wallabies set up despite his place in the playmakers' pecking order falling behind Bernard Foley, Matt Giteau, Kurtley Beale and Matt Toomua.
He regularly posted positive messages of support for his teammates on social media, and was a strong contributor to the squad on and off the field. Cooper also launched a strong defence of wayward former teammate James O'Connor, who will also join up with Toulon on Monday, rejecting suggestions the 44-Test outside back was now lost to Australian rugby. "To look at any player and say their career is over at 25 is a silly thing to say," Cooper said last month from Wallabies camp.
Cooper, on the other hand, appears to have the strong backing of the Wallabies coach. "I want him to be playing here, he's a great player, he's been outstanding on this trip, his attitude and his contribution to the team, off the field, has been outstanding, and on the field when he's played, and on the training paddock," Cheika said.