Quade Cooper named Wallabies vice-captain for clash against England In a shock move ahead of Saturday's Test against England, Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie has stripped all leadership responsibility from James Horwill and handed the captaincy to Ben Mowen. LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 28: Australia fly hald Quade Cooper (C) speaks to team-mates during a training session at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington on October 28, 2013 in London, England (Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images QUADE Cooper is now a leader of the same dressing room he became an outcast from 12 months ago. By being handed the vice-captaincy of the Wallabies, Cooper has come full circle from his comments about the team having a toxic environment. Cooper was fined $40,000 for the outburst, and never played again under then coach Robbie Deans. But the ferocious backlash taught Cooper some valuable lessons, and instead of sulking off he decided to keep his mouth shut and his feet busy, pounding the training track to overcome the greatest adversity of his career, and regain the respect of the teammates he'd disappointed. "When you've got teammates making comment about Quade, unsolicited, using him as an example of culture, they're the people who know better," Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie said. So that's a bit different to 12 months ago. That's the reality of the environment. Quade's been working really hard on a lot of things for a long time. I noticed change about 8-10 months. It doesn't matter about the change. It's a question about your ability to sustain it. Anyone can change. You can change for a week and then go back. He's proving over time that he's got a different way of going about a lot of things in his life. Many Wallabies supporters are still yet to be convinced of Cooper's credentials, but McKenzie believes the mercurial five-eighth has become a full package. "I think Quade has demonstrated the totality of being a team member, and that's been a significant change," McKenzie said. The last 12 months, he has dedicated to doing that. It hasn't changed how he functions in the team, he calls the shots, he takes responsibility for the game plan, as long as I've known him he's done that. What he hasn't necessarily done is have the totality bit going on, there's been other distractions. He still takes responsibility for that, given he's been recognised by his teammates that he is making a total contribution in a positive sense, he is in a logical position to lead because he calls a lot of what goes on, he makes the decisions on the field. I used him as a captain against the British & Irish Lions, I'm aware of his potential as a leader. You've got to play well first, you've got to be in the team for the right reasons and the leadership comes as a function of that. We'll see how he goes with the extra pressure that comes with that, but he doesn't shirk pressure. This week senior players Will Genia and Stephen Moore thoroughly praised Cooper's revised attitude. "Leaders have got to be respected by their teammates, you can't put blokes in there and causes [friction], that's part of any internal dynamic," McKenzie said. The fact his teammates are recognising that, I guess that's a plus. But he already had authority on the team anyway. He's in a good position to work with [new captain] Ben [Mowen] and get the game plan on the field. Everyone has acknowledged that Quade has made massive strides in the last 12 months and this is another step toward recognition he does make a lot of decisions on the field. So I don't think it's illogical to recognise that in terms of giving him the vice-captaincy.