This week, I was fortunate to catch up with Queensland Red and Wallaby James O'Connor! Obviously, with the player "bubble" in place, we caught up online using good old Zoom.
It was awesome to hear his perspective on where the Reds are at and what's caused our team to "click" this year. He also shared what he's been learning on field, in particular in the fly-half (number 10) role and even his personal philosophy when it comes to goal setting!
I really enjoyed catching up with him and I'm sure you'll enjoy reading our chat too!
Hey James, thanks for making time to catch up today. I hope you’re doing well!
Very well bro. Just got home - just finished training.
Obviously last weekends game against the Force was awesome for Reds fans. What do you think it is that’s clicked for the team lately?
Yeah it was! It was good to finally put everything together. What’s clicked - I think, it’s not just one thing in particular, it’s just everyone understands the game plan so much more. And I guess we’re just backing our structures. We hit some good form when Super Rugby just started, when everything was just clicking. Then after that Covid break, we had to really just go away and regroup and learn what was actually working for us and why it was working well. So what happened over the weekend was, everyone did their roles and just trusted the plan.. and it flowed as it did.
What have you enjoyed most about this year?
The thing I’ve enjoyed the most has probably been moving to 10. I played there quite a bit when I was younger, but I moved away from playing there and coming back and making it my own, taking it on, coming into this group, and developing my game.. having to grow in areas… you know, if I wanted to excel this year and for the team to play the way it is, I had to be able to adapt my game and really rebuild my kicking game and my running game. I guess it’s been so fulfilling, that I’m seeing the rewards of all the hard work and effort I put in. But also, just being able to read the defence lines differently and be able to manipulate space in ways that I haven’t before has been awesome to see. And now like you saw over the weekend, everything comes together because we’re learning how to play against different defences. When it’s a rush defence, knowing when to play what play at what moment, and then I guess, against the more jockier defence and wider spreads, I’ve really had to develop my mind which has been great.
I was going to ask what your favourite position is now. So, is it number 10?
Yeah. Before, it was number 12, because I got a good balance of running the ball, kicking the ball, defending. Also, at 12, you can be the second ball player of the team, but you have a little bit more time to really read out the play and you can also be a bit more attack orientated, in terms of carrying the ball. Whereas lately, I’ve really been enjoying 10, because your almost like the general of the team. You’re feeling out the game, you’re literally putting your team into the best position to attack. So it’s like your mind along with the other ball players and drives, but it’s almost like your moving the chess pieces on the board.
So it’s been awesome to be able to challenge myself in that way, to really feel out a game and make the right decisions at crucial times and play territory, know when to pass it wide and when to, I guess trust and use some of the players outside of me, more than I have done in the past.
So I’d say probably at the moment, 10 is my favourite position. But 10 and 12. Yeah.
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| James firing off a pass before Super Rugby was locked down for a while |
What do you love most about being based at Ballymore?
I just think, Ballymore is like the home of rugby for me. That’s what I feel, it’s like the home of rugby in Australia. I guess the benefit as well is I only live 10 minutes down that road, that’s always beneficial. (laughs) But it’s got such a good feeling to it, sort of like that blend of club rugby and professional rugby all in one. You get in there and it’s a good place to work, because the facilities are really good, but it’s not too “flashy” and it’s still a bit old-school, a bit “hard-core”. You get on the grind pretty well.
When things are too “nice”, or too “easy”, you don’t sort of test yourself. Moving back to the old tin shed, where there’s a lot more room to do gym, but it’s also hot in there, you just get to work. I think that’s been pretty cool. Even the players changing room, it’s pretty old school, it’s got a real sort of “homey” feel to it.
What’s your favourite memory, playing with the Wallabies? Is it last years Bledisloe Cup game in Perth?
Yeah! I probably have two. The first one was almost a life-time ago, when we beat the All-Blacks in Hong-Kong. I think I scored a try and then kicked a penalty to finish the game and we beat them and it was the first time I’d beaten the All Blacks and I think that sort of particular Wallabies team had in maybe four years, so it was a really special moment. It was the first sort of time I’d properly goal kicked in a game, so that was huge.
But in this new life-time of mine, playing the All-Blacks in Perth. It was just a special moment, because I’d been away from the test arena for five or six years and it was a long and hard journey to get back there. I guess beating them in Perth, where I began my professional rugby, almost at home (Perth is like a home away from home), beating them over there was such a culmination of everything. I felt such joy and gratitude towards everyone who had been a part of my journey and I guess the comeback.
How old were you when you started playing rugby?
I started playing rugby when I was five years old. It was actually rugby league when I started playing, my first game was at the Gold Coast for a team called the Parkwood Sharks. Then I moved to New Zealand when I was six years old and I played rugby league and rugby union. I was around eleven when I moved back to Australia. I’ve been doing it for a while.
When did you realise you had a knack for it?
I knew I wanted to play professional rugby when I was about twelve years old. I knew that’s the direction I wanted my life to go. I always loved it up… I think I was twelve and I made the Queensland representative team. I remember the guy at the tournament was like “probably, only three of you guys will play professional footy”. I remember thinking to myself “I’m gonna be one of those guys, this is what I want to be doing. I love it. Yeah.” And today, there are actually ten of us who played professionally, so he was wrong [laughs]. I had a pretty competitive group coming through.
Who are some mentors that have helped you over the years?
Quite a few people have come into my life, to be fair. When I first started, over at the Western Force, I guess, probably the biggest influence on my rugby career, I would say one: Robbie Deans, two: Matt Gitteau and probably three, is the guy I work with from Saviour World, Ollie. They’re the guys who have had the biggest influence on my career, in terms of how I play the game, why I play the game, my purpose for playing, how I see it and just consistently trying to get better and grow and compete.
What are your current goals as a player?
Current goals… It’s funny because I don’t really set goals like I used to before. It’s not so much about the external, it’s about knowing internally that I’m playing my best footy for myself and for my team. So as long as I keep moving forward and growing and every match I mean it and leave the field knowing I gave everything, that’s all the satisfaction I need. But in saying that, I would like to win this Super Rugby AU, that’d be a good start. Also, playing for the Wallabies, that 10 jersey is what I’m putting all my energy into as well. Trying to get a complete game, so I can take that next challenge and that next step and win that Bledisloe. ‘Cos apparently there’s going to be two tests, in Brisbane. I’ve never been a part of a team that has won a Bledisloe, so that’d be great.
That’s awesome. I'm cheering you on for all those things! Overall, I’m glad you’re with the Reds right now.
Yeah. So am I! It’s great to be home.
Thanks again James for your time! It’s a real pleasure.
No thank you very much Tom, I appreciate that. Thanks for your time as well.
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