Former Wallabies star talks about his struggles with his Māoritanga

Quade Cooper has talked openly about his troubles with his cultural identity after moving to Australia from Aotearoa as a teen. 

Cooper, who is Ngāpuhi, played 70 tests for the Wallabies and was dropped from the Queensland Reds Super Rugby squad at the end of 2017. He is currently playing for a provincial team in Brisbane as he looks to make his comeback to Super Rugby. 

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In an interview with TVNZ's Marae, Cooper talked about criticism he got for playing rugby for Australia. 

"A lot of times people criticise me because I played for Australia.

"A lot of times I have felt it's a bit true because I don't necessarily know enough about my family or my heritage."

He also said sometimes he didn't feel worthy of being Māori. 

"Living in Australia, it's not right on your doorstep ... but I think being Māori is something that's inside you."

Cooper would also one day like to play for the Māori All Blacks.

"If I was ever able to play for the Māori one day, that would be another step in that journey"