Western Force favourite James O’Connor says he felt good on his return to the Club, playing the final 20 minutes off the bench in Sunday’s Swyftx Super Rugby AUS win over the ACT Brumbies.
O’Connor was unveiled as a new Force signing at the start of this month and made his return appearance in Sunday’s 40-12 win, marking his first for the Club since 2011.
It had been 5,581 days between Force appearances for O’Connor who started his professional rugby career in the west in 2008, notching 39 games and 10 tries.
The veteran Wallaby linked up with Kurtley Beale in his return game, alternating between fly-half and inside-centre, producing some bright moments.
“Felt good,” O’Connor said after the game. “Obviously the boys set a great tempo, good platform so when I came on, obviously we were ahead.
“We just wanted to move the ball and do what we’ve been doing in training.
“We’ll tick that box. First one done. Didn’t play as well as I would’ve liked but I think we connected enough up there for the fans.”
When asked what he was thinking while warming up with a healthy Force crowd in attendance at North Coast RUFC, O’Connor laughed: “Don’t pull a muscle. Get the body moving.
“You never know when you’re on the bench, what time you’re going to get on. I think I got about 25 (minutes), so it’s a good first tick.”
The Force closed out the win, with O’Connor linking up with the backs but unable to add to the scoreline.
“I think the Brumbies were chasing the game,” he said. “They came with a bit more intensity towards the end. We created a lot.
“We probably had too many good pictures that we couldn’t execute. We did what we said we’d do, so happy with that.
The Force, who sealed a spot in the Super Rugby AUS Grand Final with the win, will next face the NSW Waratahs away on Sunday from 10:45am WST live on rugby.com.au Youtube and Stan Sport, with the winner to host the decider.
O’Connor added: “The ‘Tahs have been playing well. Two from two. They’re moving the ball a bit more than the Brumbies have.
“They’re looking for a few more one-on-ones. There’s going to be a couple of little tweaks with what we do.
“If we stick to our processes and play our game, like the first two matches, we’ve got good outcomes, so that’s what we’ll focus on.”
