Cooper believes Stringer has been a key player in the Ireland side that enjoys a 100 per cent record in this season’s tournament.
‘He has got a brilliant pass and gets his back-line moving very well. He is also very strong around the ruck area,’ said the 23-year-old Bath player.
‘Stringer seems to be general around his forwards, and has their respect. The key battle is going to be among the packs, and if you can get control up-front, then it makes things a lot easier for the half-backs.’
Cooper faces a battle with Scarlet’s scrum-half Dwayne Peel for the No.9 shirt as he received criticism after the defeat to Scotland.
But Cooper remains positive as Steve Hansen prepares to name his squad for the Irish Test, insisting: ‘Our mood is still upbeat.’
‘It has been a tough championship for us, but the mood is still upbeat and we are working hard,’ he said.
‘Hopefully, on Saturday, we can go out with the same sort of attitude that we displayed against England. We took a lot of positives from that game.
‘We went back a little bit against Scotland, and we need a bit more control on the ball. If we do that, then I think we can beat Ireland.’
