Quade Cooper finds an ally across the ditch as he prepares for another night of booing QUADE Cooper has been offered a healing hand by Maori rugby in New Zealand to help tone down the ridiculous niggle he can expect from another pro-All Blacks crowd at Forsyth Barr Stadium. Another Test on Kiwi soil in student-heavy Dunedin on Saturday night means another night of tedious jeering for five-eighth Cooper. It might have fitted the naive provoker of 2011 when Richie McCaw and his wily All Blacks fanned the flames because they wanted to rattle a World Cup dangerman. The banal banter is definitely 12 months past expiry date. Sidelined All Blacks skipper McCaw has said the feud talk is now a fizzer: "Yeah, you can stop writing them (stories) now. It's something that's been blown out of proportion if you ask me. Now leading Maori rugby figures believe they can help patch up Cooper's relationship with his former Kiwi countrymen in the stands because they have unofficially sounded him out about a guest appearance for them one day. The Maori tapestry tattooed on Cooper's right shoulder and arm represents his fierce pride in his Ngapuhi roots. The powerful message is not the longshot logistics of Cooper ever playing for the proud Maori but the overarching support of prominent former All Blacks like Eric Rush, who hate the booing epidemic. Cooper enter the Dunedin clash on the back of some solid recent form. "Representing my Maori heritage is something I'd really love to do before the end of my career," Cooper said. Someone did call my mum about it. If you could, you'd never turn down an offer. I don't think it is possible because there are a lot of rules standing in the way of being able to do it. Tiki Tuapou, honoured this year as the Queensland Rugby Union volunteer of the year for his work at Brisbane's Redlands club, said the feeling in Maori rugby circles was that support for Cooper would help the crowd dial down the venom. Cooper has hardened up by always expecting the taunts so he is never again caught off-guard by them. The best cure is to earn respect with an imposing display. He played strongly in the Rosario Test against Argentina because he took on the line more and now-injured winger Joe Tomane was so active as a roaming ball-running option off his shoulder. Cooper mixed it up with pure long balls too. Uncapped winger Peter Betham has won a starting spot for Saturday night. Thursday's team announcement will also confirm utility back Mike Harris is on the bench for his first match in more than six weeks since his club University bowed out in Brisbane's Premier Rugby finals. This is an extraordinary Test arrival for Betham, the eighth choice winger in the country. Actually, he's ninth in line because only NSW Waratahs teammate Cam Crawford's shoulder injury gave Betham the 40th and last spot into Ewen McKenzie's first camp as coach in August. He impressed in camp with his confidence to bob up in midfield for playmakers Cooper and Matt Toomua to use. Being able to enact that error-free against the All Blacks is different altogether. Toomua will play inside centre for injured Christian Lealiifano with the back replacements being Harris, halfback Nic White and Bernard Foley. It's not rocket science to clarify the line-up because the Wallabies only had the bare 10 fit backs in their squad until calling up Betham. The Wallabies on Wednesday flew into the alpine resort of Queenstown for two days before they shift to Dunedin by team bus. Prop James Slipper was less than his bubbly self which body language experts might construe as losing his spot to Benn Robinson. WALLABIES (likely starting XV): I Folau, A Ashey-Cooper, T Kuridrani, M Toomua, P Betham, Q Cooper, W Genia, B McCalman, M Hooper, B Mowen, J Horwill (c), R Simmons, J Slipper, S Moore, B Alexander.