O’Connor’s tough initiation

Carrying both the physical and mental scars of battle, it’s been a tough first week for the baby of the Wallabies spring tour group.

Eighteen-year-old backline utility James O’Connor has required eight stitches for a head wound after clashing with Adam Ashley-Cooper at training and, worse still, been blackmailed by teammates who stole the Wallabies mascot from him.

It is O’Connor’s duty to take care of “Wally” wherever the Wallabies go.

Yet he barely lasted a day before Wally disappeared.

“I lost him on the first training session. He was taken from my bag. They broke the rules,” O’Connor said.

“There was a ransom note demanding a bounty with a picture of Wally, but I couldn’t see who was holding him because I couldn’t see his arm.”

O’Connor suspected Tatafu Polota-Nau was the culprit and even acquired a key to the hooker’s hotel room to check.

“But he wasn’t in his room because he was smart and passed him onto Cliffy (Palu).”

Wally was eventually returned to O’Connor, unharmed apparently, on the day of the Wallabies’ Bledisloe Cup Test with the All Blacks in Hong Kong, but only because he is required to be at every game.

“It was Tatafu,” O’Connor said.

Apart from the stitches, O’Connor - plus the rest of the non match-day 22 - then endured the physical torture of running up and down the stairs at Hong Kong Stadium in order to stay in shape.

O’Connor admits his entry into the Wallabies fold has been a tough initiation. But he wouldn’t be anywhere else.

“I’m just overwhelmed getting to hang out with all the guys,” he said. “It’s an awesome environment.”

O’Connor played mostly in the centres for the Western Force this season but Wallabies coach Robbie Deans says he will use him at fullback this tour.

He may even win a place on the bench for this Saturday’s Test against Italy.

“I’ll be stoked if I get some game time, anywhere, but I’m not expecting anything,” O’Connor said.

“Yeah, I’d be extremely happy to get on the field and run around in the Wallabies jersey.”

If not, O’Connor is happy to continue learning the art of a fullback from one of the best in the business, former All Blacks No.15 Deans.

“I’m learning a lot at training,” he said.

“Robbie’s training’s are really game-related and you have to be thinking the whole time; about finding space, even using a kick, a grubber or running yourself.

“Just positional play of a fullback. I haven’t played there much. How to defend, being the last line. And also attack, the different lines you can run.

“Yeah, I’ve learnt quite a bit in the first week.”

If he can just learn to be a better custodian of Wally, too, all will be good.

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