Former Wallabies and Reds flyhalf, and current Toulon playmaker Quade Cooper has been ruled out of the Olympic Games by Australian rugby.

The mercurial player, who has played in two Sevens tournaments for Australia to date, will not take a spot in the squad, with Australian Sevens coach Andy Friend saying that the team hasn’t had enough time to work with Cooper in the lead-up to Rio.

With a full squad training every day at Narrabeen, it would always have been the case that if Cooper had been selected, someone had to miss out, and on this occasion it appears it is Cooper who won’t be getting the call and the plane ticket.

Cooper was his usual mixed bag in his two tournaments in Canada and the USA, having moments of sheer brilliance and some more forgettable ones.

But if fans were excited at the prospect of seeing Cooper turn out for Australia, the dream, unfortunately, is over.

The full statement from Australian Rugby on this matter is as follows: