Force welcome back teenage star James O'Connor from Injury






Wayne Smith | February 26, 2009


Article from: The Australian

JUST when it seemed the Western Force was locked in a vortex of unrelenting bad news, teenage Wallabies sensation James O'Connor has lifted spirits by making a faster-then-expected recovery from injury.

It had been feared the 18-year-old centre would be forced out of the first Australian derby of the season, against the Brumbies in Canberra on Saturday, after rolling his ankle during last week's hard-fought victory over the Cheetahs in Perth.

But so quickly has O'Connor mended that unless he suffers a new setback in training today, he will be on the plane for Canberra.

Force coach John Mitchell pointedly did not acknowledge that the 87kg teenager would be in the starting XV. He has in the past shielded O'Connor from physical mismatches in the midfield and even this year, warned that the youngster needed to be managed and would not be used in the front lines every match.

And if ever there was a time when it might make sense to shield him from the opening onslaught, it would be this weekend. Opposing him in the 12 jersey for the Brumbies is the Wallabies captain Stirling Mortlock who has started this Super rugby campaign in thundering form.

O'Connor's courage has never been questioned and he has modelled his defence on the scything tackling of his 84kg five-eighth Matt Giteau, but the 10-12 channel carries the heaviest shipping at the best of times and there are any number of heavyweight runners the Brumbies could use in convoy with Mortlock to try to ram the lightweight Force inside-backs.

"They look to be carrying close a lot," Mitchell said.

While praising the Brumbies for the way they "persisted and persevered" to score last-gasp victories over the Highlanders and Crusaders, Mitchell coyly observed that the ACT players have been "flying into rucks".

"Keeping your feet is the name of the game," he said, injecting another needle into a match that already has been pumped full of emotion by the Brumbies' recapture of Giteau from the Force.

The NSW Waratahs' early run of luck in this year's Super 14 continues. The Tahs will face an injury depleted New Zealand side for the second week in a row after Highlanders star Jimmy Cowan was ruled out of their clash in Sydney tomorrow.
The Waratahs encountered an understrength Chiefs last week.

Cowan has succumbed to an elbow injury sustained during his side's opening-round loss to the Brumbies, while All Blacks prop Jamie Mackintosh is out with a knee injury.

It leaves Adam Thomson as the struggling Dunedin side's only current All Black for the Sydney Football Stadium clash with unbeaten NSW. Despite the loss of Mackintosh and, in recent years, the foundations of the Highlanders pack in Carl Hayman and Anton Oliver, NSW is expecting the traditional strength up front, plus some new-found sparkle out wide.

"They're pretty direct, they've got a big forward pack and there's no doubt that we'll have to win that battle up front before we can play some footy," NSW coach Chris Hickey said yesterday.

"In saying that, in both games that they've played so far they've scored some good tries and they've shown that they're not just a forward pack, they've got some backs and they can play some expansive football as well."
Additional reporting: AAP

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...015651,00.html