James O’Connor of the Wallabies needs to be the primary midfield playmaker for Australia.
Besides David Pocock, O’Connor emerged as Australia’s top performer at the Rugby World Cup, showcasing his talent with a series of decisive performances in New Zealand at just 21 years old.
After coming off the bench against Italy, the Wallabies’ youngest player turned the game around, scored nine out of ten in challenging wet conditions against Russia, clinched a thrilling quarter-final match with the winning penalty against South Africa, and secured Australia’s victory over Wales in the bronze medal playoff.
He also made a remarkable chase of the tournament to tackle the speedy winger Tommy Bowe during Australia’s unexpected defeat to Ireland, a brave effort that led to a hamstring strain, sidelining O’Connor from the game against the USA.
With Quade Cooper now requiring a rehabilitation period of at least six months due to his knee injury and Berrick Barnes being the only notable contender for five-eighth, O’Connor is keen to secure a senior midfield role on the upcoming Wallabies tour of the UK.
“I want to play 12; that’s my desired position,” O’Connor stated.
“While I’m willing to play on the wing and wait my turn, I will certainly be making my case now, depending on how Quadey is progressing.
“I hope for his speedy recovery, as he’s not only a close friend but also a significant asset to our team.
“However, if the situation arises where he misses the spring tour, I will definitely declare my interest.”
On Sunday, the Wallabies announced that Cooper, aged 23, would undergo an MRI scan next week before surgery to reconstruct the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and repair his lateral ligament.
With Matt Giteau, a 92-Test veteran, seemingly out of the picture—especially after his tweet suggesting that Ewen McKenzie should take over as Wallabies coach following the semi-final loss at the World Cup—O’Connor may also step in as a flyhalf option.
“There are a few players who can fit in. I’ve spent some time at 10, as has Kurtley,” O’Connor explained.
“So, including myself, Barnesy and Kurtley, we can all play at 10, plus we have a wealth of centres, which is quite an advantage for us.
“There are also players on the fringes who can fill in on the wing and at fullback, so we certainly have significant depth in the backline.”
However, if Beale is unavailable for the spring tour due to his hamstring injury, O’Connor will almost certainly serve as the backup five-eighth to Barnes, who was outstanding as man of the match during Friday night’s 21-18 victory over Wales.
With both Cooper and Beale having to leave the field within 22 minutes, Barnes demonstrated excellent leadership, supported ably by young veteran O’Connor in his 36th Test since debuting on the 2008 spring tour.
Buford Balony says: It’s a shame to see him wasted on the wing when there are two underperformers like McCabe and Faiinga playing in a World Cup semi.
