Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
NZ NZ

Wallabies fans cannot agree on James O'Connor's best position

By Josh Raisey
James O'Connor (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

After James O’Connor signed a two-and-a-half year contract with the Reds, fans have been discussing what his best position will be for Australia. 

ADVERTISEMENT

The 29-year-old has been training with the Wallabies in South Africa over the past week and will now be in contention to make the World Cup later this year, despite being excluded from their initial Rugby Championship squad. 

O’Connor has always been seen as a utility back, which is sometimes a good thing, but it does mean that a player is sometimes shoehorned into whichever position is needed rather than their best role. 

The former Toulon and Sale Sharks player has said that he thinks No12 is his best position, but some fans on social media don’t think that will be a role for him to play. He would be competing with the likes of Kurtley Beale, Samu Kerevi and Matt Toomua to play at inside centre, which is a tall order.

While he can also play fly-half, as he has done for Australia in the past, he is not completely comfortable there and may not be seen as an international 10. Like so many positions across the field, O’Connor is capable of playing there but is not necessarily a Test level talent.

There have also been calls from fans for the 44-cap Wallaby to play at full-back or on the wing. In the absence of Israel Folau for Australia, it will be interesting to see who Michael Cheika opts for as that is now a gaping hole in their backline. 

However, O’Connor is perhaps not the player he once was in his early days in Australia and may not be as fleet of foot. Should O’Connor make the Wallabies squad at some point in the future, this will undoubtedly be a keenly discussed topic, as it has proven to be already. This is what has been said:

ADVERTISEMENT

Once the golden boy of Australian rugby, O’Connor has been playing his rugby in Europe over the past six years, despite a brief stint with the Reds in 2015. Unfortunately, a number of off-field misdemeanours curtailed the career of one of Australia’s brightest stars. 

However, it looks as though he has changed significantly from his early days, and ready to fight for a gold jersey again. What position he plays is still no clearer. 

ADVERTISEMENT

WATCH: James O’Connor on the Wallabies, the Queensland Reds and dealing with mental issues

Video Spacer
ADVERTISEMENT

Join free

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Episode 6

Sam Warburton | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

Japan Rugby League One | Sungoliath v Eagles | Full Match Replay

Japan Rugby League One | Spears v Wild Knights | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 10 | Six Nations Final Round Review

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | How can New Zealand rugby beat this Ireland team

Beyond 80 | Episode 5

Rugby Europe Men's Championship Final | Georgia v Portugal | Full Match Replay

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

A
Adrian 37 minutes ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

6 Go to comments
T
Trevor 3 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
B
Bull Shark 7 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

29 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING 'I didn't think it would happen this early': Carbery on Munster exit 'I didn't think it would happen this early': Carbery on Munster exit
Search