O'Connor to get inside running at centre for Wallabies
JAMES O'CONNOR will play at No.12 outside Danny Cipriani for the Melbourne Rebels next year, confirming his likely role for the Wallabies on the spring tour which begins next week.
While Robbie Deans and co will only confirm that Berrick Barnes and O'Connor will combine in the midfield, Barnes is likely to play both matches at No.10 as officials give him an opportunity to rediscover the form that earned him the Australian vice-captaincy and first choice five-eighth selection in 2009.
In at least one of the tour matches O'Connor will get his first opportunity on the world stage as a No.12, the position he has been training in for the Rebels.
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''That was one of the main reasons I wanted to move down to Melbourne,'' O'Connor said.
''I wanted to move to that front line and get some experience there, and I see a good fit with Kurtley [Beale] at 15 and with Danny there at 10.''
Deans has questioned O'Connor's capabilities at No.10 at this stage of his career, telling the Herald last week: ''What he's got to add … is the team skills of working for others and recognising when to go and when to carry, when to pass and when to kick. And how.''
O'Connor said he was excited at the prospect of playing outside Barnes in a new-look Wallabies side missing Quade Cooper, Beale, Pat McCabe, Rocky Elsom, Dan Vickerman and Luke Burgess.
''There's no doubt Quade brings a certain thing that not many guys can, and Kurtley as well,'' O'Connor said. ''They're game winners and game breakers as well, but we've got a different group and everyone's going to bring a different game.
''Barnsey brings a different game and I'm looking forward to getting involved with him.''
O'Connor said he wouldn't take any time warming up to the playmaker's role as he looked to put his stamp on the side.
''Any Australian team always plays an attacking style of rugby,'' O'Connor said. ''I want to get into that front line, ball-playing a little bit more and [getting] a few more touches. The last couple of days I've been in the mix in those positions. Hand-on-ball time, the amount of time you get with the ball and the time you get to decision-make.
''I guess when you're in the front line you make most of the decisions, and that's what I want to be doing. Ball-playing as well, but ball-running and taking a few more hit-ups.''
O'Connor will play a different role to injured No.12 McCabe, whose job was to simply get the ball over the advantage line and tackle. With Cipriani inside him at the Rebels next season, O'Connor knows his defence will need to be rock solid and he has an opportunity on tour to prove it is.
''I look forward to [the defensive workload],'' he said. ''I put a big onus on my defence this year. At the start of this year I didn't want to let anyone through me when I was playing in that No.12 channel and I was pretty happy with how that was going.''
As for the Rebels, O'Connor is adamant they will be far deadlier than anyone is expecting. ''I'm pretty tight with Danny and he's another one of those players that can make things happen and he's looking forward to fronting up in defence, from every conversation we've had,'' he said.
''There's going to be no easy gain line from us … you're going to have a lot of line speed though.
''It's looking promising.''
