The Wallabies prepare for an unexpected return. James O’Connor, a rugby veteran, could start in the opening match of the Rugby Championship against the Springboks.
Just eight weeks after being excluded from Australia’s initial 36-player squad for 2025, the talented 33-year-old, who will join Leicester, could wear the number 10 jersey at the famous Ellis Park in Johannesburg.
The inclusion of O’Connor represents a change of direction for Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt, who last year had indicated the need to move forward without players like O’Connor, Quade Cooper and Bernard Foley, betting on the emerging trio formed by Noah Lolesio, Tom Lynagh and Ben Donaldson.
However, injuries to Lolesio, who underwent neck surgery after Australia’s narrow victory over Fiji, and Tom Lynagh, who suffered a hard play from Dan Sheehan, forced Schmidt to reconsider his options.
Schmidt was expected to turn to Donaldson and use O’Connor from the bench in South Africa, but the New Zealander coach seems to have opted for experience.
Donaldson started in two matches in 2024, a victory against Georgia and a historic defeat against Argentina, which raised doubts about his ability to handle the intensity of high-level rugby from the start. The Western Force player has shown greater confidence coming off the bench at the international level, although he had a solid 47-minute performance as Lynagh’s replacement in the 22-12 victory over the Lions in Sydney, following the Queensland player’s concussion.
O’Connor, for his part, hasn’t played since the Crusaders’ victory over the Chiefs in the Super Rugby Pacific final, where he came off the bench in the last 90 seconds of the match.
His performance with the Crusaders this season, where he mainly played a substitute role, generated requests for him to be considered again for the Wallabies selection, to which Schmidt finally agreed by including the 33-year-old player in his team to face the Lions after Lolesio’s injury.
The weekend’s challenge couldn’t be more complicated for O’Connor or the Wallabies, as Australia hasn’t beaten the Springboks in South Africa since 2011 and only has one victory at Ellis Park, dating back to 1963. However, Australia should be prepared for the clash against the world champions after three intense encounters with the Lions, and has also secured the services of the excellent Will Skelton for their two-match tour of South Africa. Schmidt will confirm the 23 players on Thursday evening.
