O’Connor has a kiwi itch, but wallabies plan to lock the star for 2023

After finishing his Wallabies chores last weekend, O’Connor is on vacation, but the Reds expect O’Connor to return to duty in January ahead of the Super Rugby AU season that starts next month.

“James is under contract until the end of 2021 and is a big part of Dave Rennie’s plans for the 2023 Rugby World Cup,” said a Rugby Australia spokesman.

O’Connor’s manager David Shand didn’t return calls.

A well-informed source said neither Rugby Australia nor Queensland would approve O’Connor’s request for release from the final year of his current contract.

The report of a possible move from O’Connor to New Zealand came just days after a similar report was published in the French press that Toulouse was interested in bringing the ex-Toulon player back to Europe.

Sources said that Herald O’Connor’s camp has not spoken to Toulouse but has had very preliminary talks with the Chiefs about a possible transfer to Warren Gatland’s team in 2022, not next season.

O’Connor’s parents are both from New Zealand and he has spoken to friends and teammates in the past about wanting to someday play for a Kiwi team.

It may not come as a surprise that contract talks have tightened at a time when Rugby Australia and O’Connor are in talks on a new deal that would bring the 55-cap utility back to the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

O’Connor signed a 30-month deal with Rugby Australia and Queensland last July after being sacked by the Sale Sharks to pursue an ambition to play at the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

Sources aware of the deal, which was greatly boosted by Rugby Australia’s top-up money, say it was relatively strong given O’Connor’s history of having issues off the field and after several years in Europe.

O’Connor returned triumphantly for the Wallabies last year, playing in the record win against New Zealand in Perth and then in the World Cup.

This year, O’Connor emerged as the No. 10 choice for Rennie. With the departure of many other high-profile wallabies, the former problem child has become a trustworthy, high-profile leader.

Sources say it is this rapid rise in the Wallabies system that motivates O’Connor’s camp to pursue a higher salary commensurate with his importance to Rennie and the Wallabies’ plans.

Loading

Rennie and O’Connor have grown closely this year, and it is believed that Rugby Australia and O’Connor’s agent have already talked about improving their deal, although no offer has been made yet.

Senior officials think it’s unlikely that O’Connor would try to scratch his New Zealand itch in 2022 for two reasons.

The first is that O’Connor would likely have to give up all participation in the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France as Rennie specifically preferred not to apply Giteau law and instead select players to play.

The second is that O’Connor would likely only be making about 30 to 40 percent of his potential top-up salary at Rugby Australia and the Reds if he jumped the ship to the Chiefs.