Smith: O’Connor’s rugby will do the talking

After nearly half-an-hour of being asked, in as many different ways as possible, whether issues with alcohol have stunted his career James O’Connor seemed almost relieved to be questioned on whether he considered moving to an Irish province this month.

“I think London Irish is Irish enough for me,” smiled the Australian exile, who fittingly now plays for a club nicknamed The Exiles.

Considering that O’Connor had previously admitted to having offers from other clubs and other countries, it was an intriguing non-denial.

The lure of Ireland would have been obvious to a man who has family connections to the country – indeed, they influenced his choice of moving to London Irish.

“My grandad was pretty happy when I told him my news because I have an Irish background. My grandad is called Maurice O’Connor. He grew up in Wellington but his dad is from just outside Dublin. There are strong Irish roots and I found out some details on Monday.”

The 23-year-old was charm personified as he dealt with every question thrown his way, but the tone was perhaps best summed up by one rather crude inquisitor who asked: ‘You keep letting yourself down. Why?’

That drew an angry response from Brian Smith, O’Connor’s new Director of Rugby, but it was a reasonable point. O’Connor’s talent is not in doubt but he has only been able to sign with Irish until May because he was sacked by Australia for the latest in a series of off-pitch misdemeanours, many of which have involved alcohol. The straw that broke that particular camel’s back was when O’Connor was escorted from Perth airport for allegedly drunken behaviour, but there is a feeling this moment has been coming for some time.

O’Connor, who has won 44 caps for Australia, admitted as much when he repeatedly referred to continuing his ‘personal development’ in London, but there is much cynicism over whether he can actually do so.

“The last few weeks have been very tough,” admitted O’Connor, who will watch his former Australian team-mates take on England at Twickenham on Saturday before playing at full-back for his new side against Northampton on Sunday.

“I have made mistakes and that is how I got myself into this position. I would like to take the positives out of it, draw a line in the sand and think about my future.

“London Irish have given me a second chance and I will take that. I want to be talked about for playing my rugby and that is it.”

O’Connor’s plan is to return to Australia next year and begin his battle to work his way back into Ewan McKenzie’s Wallabies side ahead of the 2015 World Cup, and he is glad to have Smith in his corner. His countryman can be abrasive and stepped in to support O’Connor numerous times yesterday. It is not hard to see how that support could have swayed the former Melbourne Rebel’s decision.

“We are managing players here who are 17 to 35-year-old kids,” said Smith when asked if he needed to help O’Connor mature. “The first conversation with James was the most important one for me because I wanted to know was this the same kid I was reading about. You must channel your energy and focus this potential in one direction. Hopefully that’s something we can help James with.

“We want to keep him focused here and that will look after the off-pitch stuff. James understands his responsibilities here and embraces those and our culture.

“Is there a culture issue in Australian rugby at present? Not at all. Young men are young men; whether they are footballers, rugby players or our kids. They make mistakes.

“We’re confident and hopeful that his rugby will do the talking.”