O’Connor biding his time for return

JAMES O’CONNOR has vowed to win back his spot in the Australia side after being named on the bench for Sunday’s World Cup opener against Italy.

O’Connor missed last month’s Tri-Nations-clinching 25-20 victory over New Zealand through suspension after going AWOL and failing to attend the official World Cup squad announcement.

Wallabies selectors resisted the temptation to rush the superstar straight back into the starting XV, naming an unchanged side to face the Azzurri, with O’Connor among three new faces on the bench.