The best Rugby World Cup commentator has been abruptly released from his contract a year early. Here’s just a sample of his work in the last few days.
First, a look at our analyst’s wise words after Australia’s epic match against Wales:
“The period in the second half when we had two guys in the sin bin, defended our line with 13 men, holding up Wales three times over the line, I think that just really showed how much we want this World Cup and lengths we’ll go to to get it.”
Absolutely true. Myself, I think the defensive effort in the second half was an all-time Wallabies World Cup performance. We’ll remember that like we remember the unlikely effort against South Africa last year – when we tackled and tackled our way to victory.
This time an added exciting feature was the way the Wallabies continued to attack on the few chances they did have. There wasn’t a try on offer for us, but we deserved at least one, especially right after that 15 minutes on defence. If Israel Folau didn’t slip we might have scored and then when the penalty was awarded the Wallabies looked in shape to get across the line.
“… I truly believe we can win this World Cup.”
Okay, analyst-man, don’t jinx the Wallabies. No matter how good you are, that’s asking for trouble. There’s still three games that need to be won, in a row, before we can declare anything like that.
“We’ve got a big game against Scotland and previously we’ve not prepared as well as we could have. I’m sure Cheika and the boys are going to be preparing really well. I think we will win this game against Scotland and go through.”
This is where it gets really interesting, with the benefit of being a colour analyst that previously played the game. Admitting that the Wallabies might not have taken Scotland as seriously as they should in the past may have led to poorer preparation.
Is he referring to the Wallabies’ embarrassing loss to Scotland on the Spring Tour a few years back? It does certainly ring true of up and down Wallabies performances; inconsistency could be related to selective preparation focus.
“Adam Ashley-Cooper had his best game of the tournament. He was everywhere.”
Ashley-Cooper moved around the field as the available players dictated. He was the Mr Fixit that Mr Pyne couldn’t be in the education portfolio. Ashley-Cooper made a number of telling tackles and generally reminded everyone why it’s important to have players like him in your squad – experienced heads that are able to do everything on a rugby field.
When Ashley-Cooper made a tackle and forced a drop ball from a five-metre scrum it was a big play in a dire situation. At one point Ashley-Cooper was defending at 12, Kurtley Beale at 13 and Folau on the wing. Crazy.
“And Benny McCalman, even though he only played 30 minutes I thought he was great… one of the things that stood up was when he made that try-saving tackle against George North.”
McCalman was definitely one of the best players off the bench for the Wallabies. His hold up of North was fantastic. His general physicality was a great boost off the bench.
Another brilliant last ditch Wallabies effort was Bernard Foley taking out Alex Cuthbert, who was running at great speed, just four metres from the line. Not many fullbacks bring him down quickly enough for someone else to hold him up in that situation.
I know Fox Sports has a 24-hour rugby channel for the World Cup, but that’s basically not needed while James O’Connor, analyst, has Twitter and Kicca to post videos on whenever he sees something he likes.
Honestly, you can stop reading my stuff on here and just watch his analysis on video. I won’t even mind.
On Tuesday the Queensland Reds released O’Connor from his contract a year early, and just one year after coming here from Toulon. I just hope this won’t impact his great analysis.
The Reds said they agreed to release him in light of a “number of personal matters”.
O’Connor said this: “I came to the Reds with the intention of playing my best football in my home state and looking for a fresh start but I’ve struggled with some personal matters.”
He also said he wanted a “fresh start”.
Other things that have happened include Bret Harris writing in June that a French source predicted O’Connor would return to Toulon after this season and that he may have even told owner Mourad Boudjellal he would do so when he came to Queensland.
Another thing is O’Connor coming to Australia to play for the Reds in a desperate bid to make the World Cup squad. He didn’t make the cut after an average season for a rubbish side in Super Rugby.
If O’Connor does depart our shores – and the day after Harris’ article Wayne Smith had a piece saying the ARU wanted to make him stay – after just one year we’d have hardly got to know him this time around. He could sign with another Australian team, but that didn’t work out last time he was a free agent, having burned too many bridges.
For such a bright start the rugby career of O’Connor has fizzled.
He debuted for the Wallabies at just 18 years of age, and at age 25 doesn’t look close to representing his country again.
This is the second time in just two years O’Connor has been released from a contract, after the Wallabies terminated his deal in 2013.
At that time, after a string of airport and Hungry Jacks-related incidents, I said O’Connor needed to hit the reset button on his still-young career. I thought going overseas for a while would be his best option to work on his personal issues and keep playing rugby at a high level before he considered coming back to Australia if his ambition was still to play for the Wallabies.
His stint overseas turned out to be two quite short stints with two clubs – 15 games at London Irish and 12 in Toulon – instead of a settled, stable reboot for his career.
Intent on making it to his second World Cup, after almost sleeping through his first, O’Connor came back to the Reds as a high-profile singing this year, but injuries and playing in a poor team in a position reliant on other people’s skill put paid to his hopes of a ticket to England.
It’s always a bit hard to judge the truthfulness of a player being released for “personal matters”. O’Connor is clearly a skilled rugby player and he has certainly had issues to work on in the past. This is a cycle we’ve seen before now.
How fresh is the new start going to be? Would O’Connor just remove himself from playing rugby to deal with them? It’s probably more likely he’ll head overseas again.
While his rugby videos are amusing and even contain a few flakes of truth, I hope his courting public interaction isn’t slowing him from dealing with his personal issues.
Enjoy the World Cup mate. Find a place you can play rugby, learn who you are and work on whatever it is you need to work on.
At 25 O’Connor will be just 29 when the next World Cup rolls around. As crazy as it is to think about, with his career drifting so badly at this point, O’Connor could put himself in a position to get in a plane to Tokyo in 2019.
This is take two for the serious O’Connor rebuild. I for one hope he takes as long as he needs this time to get it right.
john
Guest
Sad really such potential.. needs a year away to sort his s**t out, followed by a year in provincials to find form "mentaly" before returning to super rugby. imo if he did these things he would have a real chance to make a proper come back.. to every one that says he's a grown man, yes he his how observant, does that mean he's not allowed to struggle? Ive seen people twice his age fall apart for far lesser reasons. The whole "what we shouldn't have to hold his hand" is full of it.. Everybody needs a hand from time to time .. and face it the wallabies need the that magic. aru should be doing everything in their power to keep him at home.
RobC
Roar Guru
A bit of weekend fun. I didnt quite understand everything (ie not much) of what Thorn said. But I think he means to smash everyone into shape. Probably this includes Graham. Maybe JOC saw the writing on the wall and decided the prospect of arguing with this ex-All Black wasnt going to end as amicably as the other one haha
the french
Roar Rookie
And Quade Cooper
Bakkies
Guest
All the Reds had to do was say no to the extra month or so at Toulon. They have the final word not the player.
Bakkies
Guest
Giteau should never have gone to the Force. The problem with going back to the Force is the Rugby they play doesn't help backs develop. Kyle Godwin can't progress there, Dane Haylett Petty has gone overseas again, Zack Holmes is off overseas, Luke Morahan is further out of the selectors. Sinderberry is a good CEO but he needs to gets a strong stable coaching set up there that will allow young players to develop and grow. Get the stadium buzzing. The crowds at the end of the season were really alarming.
Bakkies
Guest
It was short due to his reputation and they knew he would be heading back to Australia. Then Toulon came calling. He had what a three to four month contract at Toulon. It was either that, sign another short deal with the Not Nots or go back to Australia to play club Rugby and hope that a Super Rugby team signs him. He had no team at the time to go back to in Australia which is a requirement to become a Wallabies player.
Ryanno
Guest
TWAS, I definitely agree with you that today's players are held to a different and probably higher standard. Older players were not perfect either. There is more focus on their behaviour off the field than ever before but it's not a secret that this is the case. JOC is either too dumb or arrogant to recognise this, probably a mix of both.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Ryanno, it's not an excuse. More a response to the comment "People making excuses for people of 25 seem a wee bit off for me. Eales, horan , little et al were all 21 when they became household names. Never seemed to be much bs with those guys, they had a beer or a few and always knew how to handle themselves and their responsibilities." Of course players seem worse. Times have changed and they are held to a higher standard. But don't sit here and tell me these past players were perfect.
Rugby is Life
Guest
I hope he can make it back. I have been a fan and in awa of his talent. Good luck JOC
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
You're both remembering it incorrectly. Halfway between. Approximately 14m in from the sideline. Not right in front, but not a difficult conversion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQymjUE4pD8
Ryanno
Guest
Times have most certainly changed. You know it and I know it but it's a weak excuse. These blokes should be hyper aware of it as their pay packets and "brands" depend on how they are perceived by the public. It ain't that hard to stay out of burger joints at 4am, not be a jackass at the airport and make it for a RWC photo call. What I have never been able to get over with JOC is that other influential super rugby players and Wallabies don't seem to like him, hence not wanted by any other super teams when he was punted by the Rebels. He actually seems unlikable, check his twitter or instagram, I had to stop following him because it is so cringe worthy. He comes across as so far up himself that he would be genuinely painful to be around. I hope he finds a good mentor in France who helps him find an attitude adjustment and learn a bit of humility but I doubt it. The whole Marto episode of yesterday started with JOC having a crack at him on twitter first. The fact JOC thinks it a good idea to have a crack at media personality with a loud voice shows how highly he thinks of himself. It's a shame the public doesn't share the value JOC puts on his own opinion.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
I think you need a player like Turner across your back 3. May struggle for game breakers with 3 of them but one player that finishes opportunities, kicks well, defends even better and makes few errors is very good to have there. Bit of an AAC type player.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
I'm more noting how things are looked at differently in different times. I think I read about it in George Gregan or Michael Burke's book. Both were snore fests so can't separate the two in my memory. Did they never go out for Burgers at 3am on a Wednesday in their career? Expectations have changed. Some of it is fair, especially legal indiscretions or failure to maintain professional standards. But the scrutiny is much higher and I doubt most past players wouldn't be finding themselves in the same hot water as today's stars do at times. Did you know Ben Tume punched Justin Harrison after the 99 rugby World Cup? Innocent misunderstanding at the time. One of Beale, O'Conner and Cooper is sporting a black eye in a paris lobby and its big news today.
John
Guest
That tackle is one of my favorite memories of defensive wing play. That together with (1) Scott Sattler in the League grand final, and (2) Grothe chasing down O'Connor at the new Parra Stadium following a pathetic cross field kick for a 6-6 half time score - went on to either 30-6 or 36-6 from memory.
Lindommer
Guest
Dunno about "a missed kick in front of goal from Giteau", I seem to recall it was a difficult conversion attempt from wide out. Happy to be corrected.
riddler
Guest
twas haven't heard that one or remember it if i had.. but i do remember them doing that tour together in a snazzy little red two door mazda hatchback number.. not sure if they are proud of that these days.. ;) i am not going to bite about your comparison comment.. respect your opinion and you obviously like to analyse the game a lot, we just see a certain person in different light.. no problems.. each to his own..
riddler
Guest
mate.. very average.. trust me.. nothing to look at here.. :)
fletch
Guest
Don't remember him crumbling under pressure when kicking the winning goal against the All blacks in the 82 minute, Or in the 2011 world cup quarters against SA. Truth is he should be in the wallabies squad. As he is a genuine goal kicking option, great ball runner.Solid defender and can provide stability to the back three with his boat. Unfortunate he couldn't convince Chieka he has changed and matued. Hopefully couple more years in Toulon can help him shake his current image and mature. Much like Matt Giteau
fletch
Guest
Totally agree. I feel JOC has made the right decision. Who cares if he is getting paid more. I mean he will develop much better as a player and person at Toulon then the reds. The reds have got rid of all there players with any type of leadership. All they have left now is Karmichael hunt and Richard graham.....
Dave
Guest
You couldn't be that average then Riddler! Maybe just modest?!