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James O'Connor eyes shock Wallabies return
Former Wallabies utility back James O’Connor could be in line for a shock re-call into the Australian national set-up just three months ahead of the World Cup in Japan.
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According to a report from The Australian, Rugby Australia is considering putting in an offer for the 28-year-old to return to Super Rugby at the latter end of the 2020 campaign and beyond.
It is believed that while head coach Michael Cheika has not spoken to O’Connor since their casual chat during the Wallabies’ end-of-year tour in 2017, new director of rugby Scott Johnson has been in contact with the 44-test playmaker and is impressed at how he has turned his playing career and personal life around.
Currently plying his trade for Premiership club Sale, O’Connor has been embroiled in many an off-field incident over the course of his 13-year professional career.
In 2013, he was released from his contract with Rugby Australia, then known as the Australian Rugby Union, after he was removed from Perth airport for a drunken incident, while more recently, he was arrested in Paris alongside former All Blacks star Ali Williams on suspicion of trying to buy cocaine in February 2017.
However, O’Connor appears to have turned his life around, having turned to meditation and, following a training camp in Iceland last year, he has spoken out about his mental health and his ambitions on representing the Wallabies at the World Cup once again.
“I now know who I was but more importantly, I now see who I must become,” he wrote on Instagram last September.
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“It is time for me to share my truth. I have a deep desire to play for the Wallabies again. I have learnt from my mistakes and I am now ready. Ready to bleed green and gold. Ready to bleed for my brothers. Ready to bleed for the people.
“I will be back playing in October and I will have my eye firmly on the World Cup. I will not let myself or anyone down again. Time to shine!”
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bnwz0yRnicT/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Having not played internationally since the Wallabies’ 14-13 victory over Argentina in Perth in September 2013, a return to Australia could reignite O’Connor’s stagnant test career.
Currently in Queensland after spending time in Sydney last week as part of his Premiership off-season, O’Connor has just one season remaining on his three-year deal with the Sharks in England.
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That would mean his contract would run out with the Manchester-based club in May 2020, which opens up the possibility of him signing with a Super Rugby club for the remainder of next year’s season between May and July.
If he were to sign with an Australian club for the latter stages of next year’s competition and the 2021 campaign, then he would become available for this year’s World Cup, despite not meeting the 60-test threshold required for overseas-based players who haven’t committed themselves to returning to Super Rugby.
Rebels pivot Matt Toomua, formerly of the Leicester Tigers, and returning Exeter Chiefs halfback Nic White have secured similar deals to make themselves eligible for national selection later this year.
O’Connor was last seen in Australian rugby in 2015, when he signed with the Queensland Reds, but after failing to make Cheika’s World Cup squad that year, he returned to Europe, where he had previously played for London Irish, and turned out for Top 14 side Toulon.
Following the Parisian drug scandal more than two years ago, he was released from the French club and joined Sale ahead of the 2017-18 season.
As the second-youngest person ever to play for the Wallabies after debuting as an 18-year-old against Italy in Padova in November 2008, O’Connor’s addition to the Wallabies would add depth not only to the national side, but also to Australia’s flailing stocks at Super Rugby level.
Able to play at first-five, in the midfield and in the outside backs, O’Connor would add plenty of versatility and experience to the squad.
Furthermore, his return to Super Rugby would help offset the departures of many Australian stars, including David Pocock, Quade Cooper, Bernard Foley, Will Genia, Samu Kerevi, Christian Leali’ifano, Nick Phipps and Sekope Kepu, all of whom will be playing overseas following the World Cup.
With the Rebels, Reds, Waratahs and Brumbies all losing established players, the presence of O’Connor could be a welcome one for any of those franchises.
O’Connor’s preferred option would be to return to Brisbane and have a second stint at the Reds, according to The Australian.
However, whether head coach Brad Thorn, who has enforced a zero-tolerance policy on controversial figures such as former squad members Cooper and Karmichael Hunt, would want someone such as O’Connor, who has a chequered past of his own, in his squad is yet to be determined.
In other news:
Comments on RugbyPass
Je suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
25 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
25 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
25 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
25 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
11 Go to comments