Sixteen years on from when he was little more than "a child", Quade Cooper said he has a far greater understanding Wallabies coach Eddie Jones and his methods, the veteran playmaker also declaring his speed and acceleration to be better than before he suffered his season-ending Achilles injury last year.
Cooper was on hand at Coogee Oval on Thursday as the Wallabies' Rugby World Cup jersey was unveiled, the strip largely the same as in previous years but with some added wearable technology that will "move with the players" as they run, pass, tackle and kick. It also features an Indigenous pattern on the collar.
While the new playing strips -- there is also the white alternate jumper -- took centre stage on Thursday, Cooper reflected on his journey to the cusp of a third World Cup, the 35-year-old recalling how a wide-eyed 17-year-old didn't quite know how to handle Jones when the two worked alongside one another at Queensland Reds way back in 2007.
"Yeah, well, so for me, the perspective is a little bit different to that, it's more so around my own perspective," Cooper explained. "I was a child, I was 17 when I first met him, so if you're 17 coming into an environment like this, into a professional environment, predominantly of grown men, your perception of them is a whole lot different.
"So, now I've been able to just have a conversation to him man to man, and also my level of understanding of not only life but football is at a higher level. So, when we're having conversations, he's saying something I can understand at a higher level, I can challenge his thought process based on my own. And I think those conversations are beautiful conversations to have, so I've really enjoyed being around him.
"When I was younger, it was more so a fair relationship because you're such young kids so you look at them like a father figure; when you walk into a room with a lot of men as a young kid you're more of their understanding of their situation."
While Cooper's introduction to professional rugby first came under Jones, he has had sparing little contact with the veteran coach as the 63-year-old's various roles have taken him across the globe.
Recently, however, Cooper, Jones and Samu Kerevi all enjoyed a week togethers as part of the Barbarians team that played a World XV at Twickenham last month, a match that was only the fly-half's third since his return from the ruptured Achilles he suffered against the Pumas in Argentina last year.
In news that will warm the hearts of Wallabies supporters, Cooper said there were absolutely no concerns around his fitness.
"It's actually better," Cooper replied when asked where his speed and acceleration was at compared to this time last year.
"When you're playing week-in and week-out, it's a lot harder to focus on one area. So, for me, I think I'm just over 10 months since the injury, so I've had 10 months to prepare myself physically. And then prior to that, I've been working very hard in a certain way for about four to five years.
"So, for me, it's not about the 10 months now, it's about the time before that. The 10 months, yeah, that's great. But it's the habits that are put in place over the past four or five years that will allow me to perform and continue to perform throughout the year... we always like to think we're in the best shape of our life and hindsight is a great thing. So, for me, the process has been a smooth process. I've had time and I haven't had to rush anything. I've had the best possible help and facility in the Queensland Academy of Sport up in Brisbane."
Cooper said he would be right to go if selected for the Wallabies' opening Rugby Championship Test against the Springboks in Pretoria on Sept. 8. Jones will on Sunday name a 33-man squad, plus some players engaged in ongoing rehab, for the annual southern hemisphere showpiece, which is truncated this year because of the World Cup.
Michael Hooper, meanwhile, wouldn't be drawn on whether he wanted the captaincy back, instead running a similar line to Jones in that the Wallabies would require a group of leaders who would all play a role when the team arrives in France in late August.
Hooper will be heading to a third World Cup, providing he is selected, but it will be under a different coach this time around after two tournaments with Michael Cheika.
Asked about the preparation under Jones, Hooper said training had been full on.
"It's intense periods of on and off, so when we're at it, we're at it," he told reporters. "And then we're putting in a lot of facility with guys to make sure that we can maintain that level and keep it up. It's a big demand a season like this, there's a lot of external stuff that goes on, today's an example.
"So to allow us all to be on here, and then on when it's really important, it's critical and they're putting in a lot of structures around to make that happen for us. It's a good environment to be a part of, early days, you just want more and more."
Powerhouse prop Taniela Tupou meanwhile declared his own recovery from an Achilles injury an ongoing process and hinted he was little chance to be fit for either the Test against the Springboks in Pretoria, or against the Pumas in Sydney the following week.