Having been dropped from the Wallabies and Rebels setup, James O’Connor has been plying his trade in the Northern Hemisphere with London Irish. However he has been very vocal with his intent to play in the 2015 World Cup. At this stage the Queensland Reds seem the most likely Australian club to take the troubled but perhaps reformed young star.

 Nobody at Ballymore will confirm the lingering suggestion that O’Connor’s presence next year is a formality but nobody is denying it either, with both coach Richard Graham and Horwill hardly avoiding the issue when quizzed during the week.

 Questions remain about O’Connor’s record off the field but he appears to have been a model citizen during stints in English and French rugby over the past nine months.

 James Horwill, the Reds captain, expressed his faith in the QRU to make the right decision. However he emphasized the fact that “anyone that comes here, no matter who it is, has to come here for the right reasons and fit into our culture. That’s the most important thing we’ve stressed. No matter where they are, a Test player or a young guy, they have to come here because they want to play for Queensland, they want to fit into our way of playing and want to do things our way.

 After a dreadful season the Reds have been clearing their roster of names like Shipperly and Harris creating speculation for big signings. Another name being thrown up is Karmichael Hunt, currently playing footy on the Gold Coast. Having come from League, to AFL, could he have as big an impact as Israel Folau?

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We couldn’t have picked the 5 any better ourselves. We do feel a bit sorry for our cult hero The Honey Badger at the start, but hey, Rugby HQ provided us with plenty of laughs after.

Watch the video below:

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James O’Connor in talks with the Reds

As senior players backed the Australian Rugby Union’s tough stance on Test eligibility, it emerged that O’Connor had piqued the interest of the struggling Reds and would most likely resume his Australian career in Brisbane next year.

Queensland Rugby Union chief executive Jim Carmichael would only say the province was open-minded about the controversial outside back, but Georgina Robinson, from Fairfax Media understands the Reds have made an offer for his services next season.

“I don’t have a closed mind on anything,” Carmichael said. “We’re working through what we would call the deficiencies we have as we speak. There’s a lot of pressure on us and we need to cop it on the chin, and just live in that pressure cooker at the moment without distracting people with who we may or may not sign.”

James O’Conner had his Wallabies contract torn up last year after a drunken run in with airport staff at Perth International Airport. In which he was escorted from the airport by the Australian Federal Police.

JOC in a Reds jersey (credit Just Rugby.)

Since then, O’Conner tried to ‘amend’ for his sins by signing with London Irish on a short-term contract and then joined fellow former Australian internationals Matt Giteau and Drew Mitchell at Toulon.

It’s been reported that JOC wants to return to Australia. After talks with his former franchise, the Western Force dried up, he then turned to his former coach, Richard Graham and the struggling Reds.

ARU boss Bill Pulver revealed a Super Rugby contract was not O’Connor’s only option. Pulver said the former Force and Rebels outside back needed only to be registered to play domestically, meaning he could play a season of club rugby and be considered by national coach Ewen McKenzie at a pinch. However, that option would appear unlikely to be taken up.

Wallabies coach, Ewen McKenzie last year poured cold water on O’Connor’s World Cup hopes by suggesting that the test squad he picks this year will be his squad for the 2015 international decider.  With JOC being ineligible for Wallabies selection this year, if McKenzie holds true to his words,  there may already be no place for O’Connor in McKenzie’s World Cup plans.

Credit for images: Just Rugby News

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