Force to fully test youngster O'Connor

[KenyaQuin]

Force to fully test youngster O'Connor
Bret Harris | April 28, 2008 Force to fully test youngster O'Connor | The Australian

TEENAGE sensation James O'Connor is poised to make his run-on debut for Western Force in the Super 14 match against the Chiefs in Perth on Saturday.

Described as the next Matt Giteau, O'Connor, 17, is set to start at inside centre, playing alongside the Wallabies' maestro at five-eighth.

The presence of both Giteau and O'Connor in the inside backs would give the Force two creative threats.

O'Connor boasts similar acceleration and footwork to Giteau.

The Force is in ninth place on the Super 14 table with 24 competition points and is all but out of the race for the semi-finals.

With three rounds to go, coach John Mitchell is believed to be keen to give O'Connor a start to help prepare him for next year.

Scott Staniforth and Lachlan MacKay have played well at inside centre for the Force this year, but O'Connor is seen as the future long-term No12.

Playing against the in-form Chiefs would be a tough assignment for O'Connor, but it would give him a good idea of where he is at the moment.

The Force finishes the regular season with games against the Hurricanes in Wellington and Brumbies in Perth.

A product of Queensland's great rugby nursey, Nudgee College, O'Connor was poached by the Force last year.

O'Connor has only had one appearance off the bench for the Force, against Queensland Reds two weeks ago, but he has played sevens for Australia in Adelaide and Hong Kong.

O'Connor is already in strong demand. His ancestry remarkably makes him eligible to play for the Wallabies, All Blacks and Springboks.

Off contract at the end of the year, O'Connor is being chased by the Reds as well as NRL team Parramatta.

O'Connor had a scholarship with Parramatta when he was 14 and it is understood the Eels are interested in him again.

But O'Connor is expected to remain with the Force.

O'Connor is likely to be a bolter for the Wallabies' end-of-season tour of Europe and if his career progresses as expected he would be in line to play in the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand at just 20 years of age.

[force addict]

Wow a run-on debut!! Well done O'Connor and good luck to you!

[jono]

should be good to see.
good luck!

[chook]

Hope he has a good one. If he plays like Turner or Horny then the Force will be fully chuffed. go JO'C!

[BLR]

Nice how they managed to throw in the word 'poached' into the article...Grumbles would have taken that opportunity to say we stole O'Connor from his family home while he was sleeping...

[Stone Cold]

exciting stuff...good luck to O'Connor - I hope he plays like Giteau...can't wait to see him in action

[chook]

Poached? Thats the standard play for Force recruitment though. If the shoe fits....

[benny]

JOC need to bulk up or he'll snap in half.. but showed talent in the limited time against the reds, good luck son !!

[force addict]

ur kidding me right? his arms are huuuuge for a seventeen year old, kinda like pocock, just a bit smaller haha

[Punkpapa]

Wasn't there a thread about things the Force can be blamed for? Obviously that now extends to the Stolen Generation QLD Style!

[jazza93]

why would he have to be massive to be good, the more bulk you get the slower you get.

[chook]

Horny is not that big and he tackles well above his weight. This JOC kiddy will be ok.

[laura]

Good luck to him. If he is bigger he might become slower & that will defeat the purpose of him palying as a fast inside-center or wherever he gets put. I think having him as a relatively small & agile kid he will be able to get through gaps better and score tries!!!

[KenyaQuin]

He was definitely poached. Not our fault if other teams don't know how to appreciate or acknowledge the talent they have right under their roofs. These young players need to be spoken to, they have to hear and understand the vision, they need to know that they are wanted and that there is a place for them. If no one in these organisations has the foresight to be bothered, they should not bitch and groan when the Force come into town and rustle the boys.

[BLR]

I prefer the phrase 'given an opportunity for greatness' over poached.