Australians hope O’Connor can be a hit at 10

JAMES O’Connor lacks experience as a stand-off in the international arena, and hasn’t played a Test in 19 months.

What the designated Wallabies playmaker doesn’t lack ahead of Saturday’s first test against the British and Irish Lions is confidence. “It’s going to be a huge occasion. I’m very confident in how it’s all going and how we’ve gelled as a team,” O’Connor said after he was confirmed as Australia’s first-choice No 10 when the series kicks off in Brisbane. “I’m very confident, very pumped.”

Critics can’t doubt O’Connor’s individuality. He built what the Australian media dubbed the “brand O’Connor” image by ensuring he brokered some of the best deals in Super Rugby, first with the Western Force and then with the Melbourne Rebels after graduating from one of Queensland’s oldest rugby nurseries. He was born on Australia’s glitzy Gold Coast, and spent some of his early childhood playing in New Zealand before returning to Queensland to hone his rugby talent. He’s had some unique hair styles and has been compared in looks with the young Canadian singer Justin Bieber. Whatever anybody thinks of him, as far as O’Connor is concerned, he’s got pedigree as a No 10. “Growing up, I played 10. My last game with the Wallabies was at 10 and it was against Wales,” he said.

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O’Connor got the go-ahead at 10 after his main rivals sabotaged themselves. Quade Cooper, long considered the incumbent, hasn’t been picked since his comments about the “toxic” environment in the Wallabies camp. Kurtley Beale has spent most of the season on the sidelines, first due to injury and then due to suspension and subsequent counseling for alcohol-related issues. Beale has reformed enough, though, to earn a place on the bench against the Lions.