One half of arguably the deadliest duo in world rugby has been signing the praises of his partner in crime.
Australian halfbacks Will Genia and Quade Cooper have been setting the world alight over the past two seasons, with the Queensland Reds pair helping the Wallabies develop a devastating attacking edge.
The provincial and international team-mates, who will pose a massive threat to the Lions in 2013, have shared a host of honours at Super Rugby and Test level despite both being just 23 years of age.
Genia’s stunning solo try against the Crusaders handed the Reds a first Super title since 1995 but it is Cooper who receives most of the headlines.
The fly-half’s mercurial running game and instinctive style of play have resulted in regular plaudits at home and abroad but it is an area of his game which is rarely talked about that Genia has been keen to highlight this week.
"He's obviously quite unpredictable, but the thing about Quade which a lot of people don't know is that he's actually quite a good communicator on the field," said Genia, ahead of this weekend’s Tri Nations clash with South Africa.
"He does give very good direction of play and he's very proactive with his communication.
"It makes my job a hell of a lot easier and the job for the forwards a lot easier."
Another international star to have been talked up by Genia this week is the man he is expected to go head-to-head with in Durban this Saturday.
Fourie du Preez was one of more than 20 Springbok stars to miss the reverse fixture in Sydney last month but the Blue Bulls No9 is in line to start for his country this time around.
Du Preez’s battle with Welshman Mike Phillips on the 2009 Lions tour was seen as a dual of the globe’s best scrum-halves, but with Phillips having failed to hit the heights of his first experience with Britain and Ireland’s elite and du Preez suffering from injury issues, Genia now has a strong case to be considered the game’s premier player in his position.
The man himself is keen to play that accolade down, however, with Genia insisting that du Preez has his utmost respect.
"He is in my opinion probably by far the best halfback I've seen play," added Genia.
"He's always someone I've tried to learn things off and model a little bit of my game around.
"He fits in to how South Africa want to play their game: his kicking game, his running game, his passing game and his vision. He always makes the right decision and controls a game very, very well.
"He's world-class and he'll make a massive difference."
