The perennial underachiever of Australian rugby, James O’Connor, has once again failed to deliver on the huge potential that he undoubtedly has and leaves the Queensland Reds in disgrace.
To renege on his contract and to not fulfil his obligations to the Reds due to ‘personal issues’ was a cop out and only goes to show how immature and irresponsible O’Connor is.
It would appear from what has been reported that O’Connor has had his career laid out on a silver platter until the last couple of years when he has struck some adversity due predominantly to repeated off-field misdemeanours.
It’s all gotten too hard for him so he’s taken the easy way out and departed our shores for the big bucks overseas.
The ironic thing here is that if O’Connor had been playing to his potential he would have been part of the Wallabies squad at the 2015 World Cup, but instead he’ll be flying to France to take up a contract with Toulon with his tail between his legs.
Former Wallaby Greg Martin, who has always been forthright with his opinions and has never been backwards in coming forwards, got it spot on when he labelled O’Connor a “twot” which translates as a total waste of talent. I’m sure that the jury is still out on that one, but at this stage the majority would have to be in the affirmative.
It remains to be seen if O’Connor will ever play for the Wallabies again, if he doesn’t Australian rugby has lost a special talent, a player who had the x-factor and could have helped the Wallabies win a Rugby World Cup.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
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