O'Connor Returns to the Wallabies to Face the Lions: Rugby at its Best

James O’Connor joins James Slipper to face the British and Irish Lions with the Wallabies for the second time. The veteran was called up to the Australian team by coach Joe Schmidt. O’Connor, 35, was the big addition to the 36-player list presented in Brisbane on Friday afternoon. Schmidt turned to the player with 64 international matches after Noah Lolesio was ruled out of the series with a neck injury. The Queensland player started at fly-half in the final match of the 2013 Lions series, scoring a try before the tourists took the match and the series in the second half. He and prop James Slipper, Australia’s most-capped Wallaby, are the only survivors from 12 years ago. O’Connor joins Ben Donaldson and Tom Lynagh as Schmidt’s options at the opening, while there was also a call-up for the promising Reds second row, Josh Canham. Schmidt had rejected calls on Sunday to add an experienced playmaker to his team, insisting that the group at his disposal could do the job against the Lions. But the news of Lolesio’s injury on Tuesday clearly changed the New Zealander’s way of thinking, and O’Connor was chosen ahead of Tane Edmed, who trained with the Wallabies last week. O’Connor last played for the Wallabies under Dave Rennie in 2022. Meanwhile, Canham put in a striking effort in the Reds’ 52-12 defeat to the Lions last week to earn a place in the Wallabies squad. The former Melbourne Rebels lock gives Schmidt another lock option outside of Will Skelton, Nick Frost, Jeremy Williams and Tom Hooper. Taniela Tupou, for his part, has kept his place in the squad, while Dave Porecki was also named even though the hooker suffered a head knock in Australia’s 21-18 victory over Fiji last Sunday.

As Wallabies coaches, we have tried to balance continuity with form and freshness, but there were some very tight decisions.
Schmidt

James O'Connor ha sido convocado a los Wallabies para la serie contra los Lions. — James O’Connor ha sido convocado a los Wallabies para la serie contra los Lions. Chris Hyde/Getty Image

“We are aware of how special it is to play against the British and Irish Lions, so those selected in the squad will compete for the Test jerseys, while also trying to help others prepare. We need to improve our precision and cohesion with a very short time before the first Test here in eight days.” “We are excited about what is to come.” Schmidt will appear before the media on Friday afternoon.