was suggested that Cooper would be playing club rugby for current club Souths. The Reds, under Thorn then signed two of Cooper's 2011 championship teammates flyhalf/fullback Jono Lance and utility back Ben Lucas. Meanwhile, Cooper spent the majority of 2018 playing for Souths, captaining the Queensland Premier Rugby side to a knockout semi-final in August 2018. In 2018, Cooper and former Reds teammates Karmichael Hunt and James Slipper were named in a 36-man squad selection for NRC side Brisbane City. The three would go on to be signed with rival Super Rugby franchises for the following season, Cooper at the Rebels would go on to defeat Thorn's Reds twice, as would Hunt with the Waratahs, while Slipper at the Brumbies would lose to the Reds in Brisbane however, win at home in Canberra. 2019–present: Melbourne Rebels and Kintetsu Liners On 23 October, it was announced that Cooper had signed a one-year contract with the Melbourne Rebels, being sought out by Rebels coach Dave Wessels. After a hot start to the season, Rebels had a poorer back end and finished 11th overall, missing out on a finals wild card spot. On a personal front, Cooper's Rebels did manage two wins both home and away over the Queensland Reds coached by Brad Thorn who had "banished" Cooper from his home franchise. Subsequently, Cooper was notably absent from Wallabies squads for the test season with Lealiifano expectedly ahead of him given the Brumbies run to the finals, however Michael Cheika preferred Waratahs Bernard Foley and Kurtley Beale as backup options ahead of him as well as Rebels teammate Matt To'omua, who interestingly rarely featured at flyhalf for the Rebels or Leicester. Cheika's Wallabies would go on to bomb out of the World Cup in the quarter finals after some shaky performances in the pool stages. He then joined Kintetsu Liners in Japan ahead of the 2019–20 season alongside longtime halves partner Will Genia. In 2020 Kintetsu and the Rebels would sign a partnership agreement, leaving the door ajar for Cooper to return to Super Rugby with the Rebels. In 2021, prior to the first test of the Bledisloe Cup, rumours had circled that Cooper would be called into the Wallabies squad a result of Australia's COVID restrictions and lack of form among the Australian flyhalves during the Super Rugby AU and Trans Tasman season. On July 25, it was formally announced that Cooper