Australia star Quade Cooper insists he has learnt his lessons following a controversial year in the spotlight.
The Queensland Reds fly-half went from Wallabies golden boy to public enemy number one after launching a fierce attack on the national set-up.
There were fears that Cooper would turn his back on union as the furore unfolded.
But after returning to action for the Reds and with the visit of the Lions looming on the horizon, Cooper is ready to put his career back on track.
''I understand it, of course,'' said Cooper.
''There's a lot of people, myself included, when I look back over some of the things I said in that interview, there's a lot of emotion and things that come across wrong and that I didn't necessarily mean but that came out in a way that was [wrong].
''When you're injured it's a very tough time emotionally, there are so many ups and downs with rehab and there's a lot of hard work and frustration that goes into it.
“A lot of things can add up, and I guess it's just like anything in life, whatever your day job is, you can have a bad day in the office, a day when little things agitate you.
''I apologise to everybody that thought I was disregarding the Wallabies jumper, that I didn't want to play for the Wallabies.
“I know a lot of people will never fully understand my reaction or fully forgive me for what I did but I've got to get on with life and continue to come back and play as good a [game of] football as I can, and hopefully everything will look after itself if I do the right thing.
"It's tough to learn but it's better to learn it earlier rather than later. I'm glad I've been through a lot of experiences, and I'd like to say that now I'm in a position where I'm learning from all the mistakes I've made.''
The Reds kick-off their Super Rugby campaign against fierce rivals New South Wales Waratahs tomorrow.
After claiming the Super Rugby title 2011, the Reds failed to fire in 2012 but Cooper insists he is ready to launch a full-scale assault on the crown.
''The margins of success to failure are so small,'' added Cooper.
“At the start of [2011] everything was just falling into place, whether [the Reds] were playing the best football one week to not very well the next week, we were still winning games because we were working so hard.
“From the success of the 2011 Super Rugby season to the – I wouldn't say failure, but – to the 2011 World Cup, us [Australia] not performing to our best and myself as well.
“That margin is so small, you can't let up for a second.''
