James O'Connor

A schoolboy prodigy, one who could have played for Australia (place of birth), New Zealand (parents) or South Africa (maternal grandparents), O’Connor earned 44 Wallaby caps by the age of 23 before his career seemingly came to an abrupt end. Incredibly, after five long years in the international wilderness and in one of the great redemption stories, O’Connor made a triumphant return, both as a man and a player.

Born in Queensland but raised in the early part of his life in New Zealand, O’Connor was one of a long list of Wallabies to have graduated from Nudgee College, Brisbane. A back of phenomenal skill and extreme versatility, O’Connor won selection in Queensland's 2007 champion schools’ side and then Australian Schools. In 2008 O'Connor became the youngest Super Rugby debutant in history when he ran out for the Western Force. Later that same year, and with only a handful of provincial caps to his name, he was picked in the Wallabies’ Spring Tour squad. O’Connor then made his Test debut - aged just 18 years and 126 days - as a replacement against Italy in Padova.

At the time O’Connor had the Rugby world at his feet and his performances over the following three seasons confirmed that as fact. In 2010 he helped to snap an 11-game, two-plus year losing streak against the All Blacks in Hong Kong when he scored a last-minute try, followed by an angled conversion to give Australia a triumphant 26-24 win. O’Connor was selected to his first Rugby World Cup squad in 2011 and calmly slotted a decisive 72nd minute penalty against South Africa to secure the Wallabies a semi-final tie with New Zealand. Unfortunately, a succession of well-publicized off-field incidents soon overwhelmed O’Connor’s deeds on the rugby pitch. In late 2013 the then-ARU decided to release him from his national contract.

O’Connor spent the next two years in Europe, firstly with London Irish and then Toulon. In 2015, O’Connor returned to Australia to play for the Reds but that stint was cut short and he quickly returned to Europe. O’Connor moved on from France and joined English club Sale ahead of the 2017-18 season. It was during this stint with Sale that O’Connor discovered a new lease of life thanks to Saviour World, a holistic men’s health group. From breathing techniques to dietary plans, O’Connor’s work with the group left him completely transformed as a man.

O’Connor returned to Australia at the backend of the 2019 Super Rugby season with the lone hope that he could win a place in the Wallabies’ World Cup squad. He did far more than that, firstly with a standout performance from the unfamiliar outside centre position in the record-breaking win over New Zealand in Perth and secondly as a true leader within the broader squad. Those leadership qualities shone out in 2020 as O’Connor, from fly-half, steered the Queensland Reds attack to the final of Super Rugby AU, their first since victory in 2011.

In 2021, further injury, this time a hip flexor / groin, saw O’Connor miss the home series against France and the first four matches of The Rugby Championship. He returned for the two internationals against Argentina and the four Tests of the Spring Tour, the final three of which saw him start at fly half.

O’Connor was capped off the bench in the first two matches of the home series against England in 2022. He earned one further cap in a loss to Argentina in San Juan.

After a couple of year absence from the Wallabies set-up, O'Connor earned a recall for the British & Irish Lions Series after impressing for the 2025 champions Crusaders in Super Rugby Pacific.