O'Connor eyes Wallabies World Cup swansong after Force return / Photo: Paul Faith - AFP
O'Connor eyes Wallabies World Cup swansong after Force return
Veteran fly-half James O'Connor said on Wednesday he was returning to Super Rugby's Western Force, with the 36-year-old aiming to be part of the Australia squad for next year's World Cup on home soil.
O'Connor signed a one-year contract with the Perth-based Force, where he made his debut as a 17-year-old in 2008, having left England's Leicester Tigers after a globe-trotting club rugby career that also took him to France and New Zealand.
"I'm so excited to join the Force. It feels like a full-circle moment in my life," said O'Connor, who has 68 Wallabies caps and has played for the Force, Queensland Reds, Melbourne Rebels and Canterbury Crusaders in Super Rugby.
"There's a lot of good footy still left in me. I want to make the most of possibly my last year," O'Connor said
"I feel like my body is primed and my mind is ready."
O'Connor said he still harboured hopes of playing for the Wallabies with an eye on bringing down the curtain on his playing days at the 2027 World Cup in Australia in October-November next year.
"It's an incredible time in Australian rugby right now with the World Cup just around the corner." O'Connor said.
"And this is an opportunity for me to go toe-to-toe with the best in Australia each week.
"I'm excited to bring my experience to this group. I've played all over the world for two decades. I've seen a lot of different programmes and a lot of different structures."
P.Mancini--GdR
