James O’Connor: the previous Aussie larrakin finds a house in New Zealand rugby

The 34-year-old took the sphere as a 57th minute alternative because the Crusaders beat the Hurricanes 33-25 within the first match of the 2025 season. He produced an impactful efficiency, taking the ball to the road repeatedly and making a brief go to Will Jordan that contributed to a strive by Sevu Reece.

O’Connor’s debut for the Crusaders got here nearly 17 years to the day since he made his first look as a 17-year-old for the Western Drive, turning into the second-youngest participant to play Tremendous Rugby.

His profession since has been an itinerant and checkered one wherein his distinctive ability in a wide range of backline positions has been offset by accidents and troubles off the sphere. These points disrupted his worldwide profession and restricted him to solely 64 checks for the Wallabies in 14 years.

O’Connor’s status as a troubled younger man has traveled with him, making him at instances nearly an exile from his personal nation.

Even in becoming a member of the Crusaders, O’Connor turned an unwilling flashpoint for controversy. The previous Crusaders and All Blacks prop requested why his former membership would spend money on a participant of O’Connor’s age, reasonably than in a youthful, native participant.

“I don’t prefer it,” Crockett stated. “You’re taking brief time period acquire for an skilled participant however you lose that improvement place for an additional younger man who may go on to turn out to be an All Black.”

However O’Connor’s worth to the Crusaders was obvious in his transient debut on Friday. The Crusaders have been with out 13 front-line gamers, all injured, and had a scarcity of expertise after current retirements. O’Connor brings a maturity and seniority which the Crusaders lack, making a late and ironic transition to the position of elder statesman.

Queensland-born O’Connor had lengthy harbored a need to play for a New Zealand Tremendous Rugby workforce. He holds a New Zealand passport via his dad and mom each of whom have been born in New Zealand and shortly accepted when the Crusaders provided a one-year deal.

“It is rather thrilling for me as an Aussie with Kiwi dad and mom to have the ability to take a peek behind the window and see a membership that’s had a lot success and to simply be part of it and really feel it,” O’Connor advised a information convention earlier than his debut. “I’ve bought ambitions of going into teaching so I’m actually having fun with it. It’s undoubtedly completely different, in an effective way.

“I’d at all times considered it, I’ll put it that method. However for it to have the ability to be actuality is a really completely different factor. I’ve at all times needed to know what it’s prefer to play in New Zealand.”

All of it started for O’Connor when he performed for the Brisbane membership Brothers as a young person and after having performed briefly for Australian Schoolboys. It was obvious at a look that he was a participant of remarkable expertise. He made his debut for the Western Drive inside months and for Australia on the age of 18.

Off-field troubles turned an nearly fixed counterpoint to his profession. He was launched early from his first contract with the Queensland Reds and Wallabies coaches handled him with wariness.

In 2013 he was stood down by the Wallabies after being eliminated by police from Perth Airport. In 2017 he was arrested in Paris on suspicion of trying to purchase cocaine and launched with out penalty.

There have been different minor incidents and O’Connor turned a kind of rugby nomad, enjoying for London Irish, then Toulon in France and the Sale Sharks earlier than reviving his profession with the Reds from 2019.

It’s on this later iteration of his profession that O’Connor finds himself on the Crusaders, as a participant ultimately snug in his personal pores and skin.

“I felt like I wasn’t fairly performed,” he stated. “Coming right here it took a little bit of braveness to place myself on the market however I’m very glad that I did.”

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