O’Connor to break Wallabies long-service record as injury exposes playmaker depth issues

When James O’Connor made his Wallabies debut as a fresh-faced 18-year-old in 2008, Australia had only just got the first iPhone, Underbelly was a hit new show and no-one posted about it on Instagram because it wasn’t invented yet.

Almost 17 years later, Australia has since endured six changes of Prime Minister, we’re up to the iPhone 16 – and O’Connor is still playing Test rugby.

Sixteen years and 281 days after his debut against Italy in Padova – alongside fellow newbie Quade Cooper – O’Connor will start for Australia at No.10 in Johannesburg and in doing so, claim the record of the longest-ever Wallabies career.

He will pass Queensland prop Greg Holmes (2005-21) and hardman Reds lock Graham Cooke, who played between 1932 and 1948. Only two men in the Test rugby history have had longer spans: Italian Sergio Parisse (17y118d) and Wales’ Alun Wyn Jones (16y337d).

After a hyped early career that led Robbie Deans to predict he’d win 200 Test caps, O’Connor raced to 44 Wallabies appearances by the age of 23 before his contract was ripped up in 2013 due to off-field issues. During stints in France and England, O’Connor matured and returned triumphantly to Australia and the Wallabies in 2019.

After playing his last Test in 2022 and electing to move on from the Reds last year, O’Connor contemplated coaching before taking up a gig at the Crusaders, who used him as an experienced finisher in their premiership-winning season. Amid glowing reviews from hard-bitten Kiwis, O’Connor won a call-up to the Wallabies’ Lions squad following a neck injury to Noah Lolesio, in large part to share his experience with young pivots Tom Lynagh and Ben Donaldson.

But a head knock for Lynagh saw O’Connor taken on the tour to South Africa, too, and then named for a shock start in Test side. It will be only his second start of the season.

“It’s been a seamless transition for him in the respect that he makes no fuss about himself, obviously coming back in from a New Zealand Strip rugby side, [and] bringing an older head back into the group by the experience he brings,” Wallabies fullback Tom Wright said.

“And just the eagerness to bring the guys on that are around him. [We are] obviously really disappointed for Turbo [Lynagh] to have copped that head knock, and obviously been ruled out. But he [O’Connor] was feeding and giving everything he has to Turbo to be a better player before he had to miss out on the trip.

“He was by no means coming in as a coach, but he was feeding guys with confidence, giving them everything he’s learned over the years. And he’s ready to hit the ground running this week for us, which is awesome.”

But while the length of O’Connor’s career is deservedly celebrated, the return of a 35-year-old to the Wallabies No.10 has also re-heated the age-old questions about development and retention of Australia’s playmaking stocks. Which then cranked up even further with an 11th-hour training injury to Donaldson on Thursday, which ruled him out of the Test as a back-up and created a scramble to have adequate cover at No.10.

In an otherwise settled side, coach Joe Schmidt named a 6-2 bench but changed it after the team’s captain’s run on Friday, with Tane Edmed belatedly added to provide cover at five-eighth.

But with Donaldson likely to be out next week, too, and Lynagh not ready to return, the Wallabies will also likely scramble to fly in another playmaker.

With the rest of the options back in Super Rugby ranks young and/or inexperienced, or in other codes, there is speculation 36-year-old Kurtley Beale is the man on stand-by for a call from Schmidt. The only other experienced option is 35-year-old Bernard Foley, who has been in strong form for Kubota in Japan for several years.

Neither Beale nor Foley are realistic as World Cup options but somehow still present as the best options to plug a short-term gap, which has admittedly been created by an unlucky run for Schmidt and the young pivots he has patiently backed – Lolesio and Lynagh.

But with shallow depth in several key positions, the loss of Donaldson in the final minutes of training on Thursday also raised more questions around injury prevention systems in the Wallabies.

It came after first-choice Jake Gordon also tore a hamstring late in a session in Sydney, forcing Nic White to delay his retirement, and after Rob Valetini and Will Skelton both picked up calf injuries at training ahead of the Lions series, which majorly dented the hosts’ chance of winning the series.

Schmidt sticks with winning Wallabies, but training mishap causes late playmaker chaos

A rare moment of selection consistency for the Wallabies was thrown into chaos at the eleventh hour in South Africa on Thursday, with an injury to playmaker Ben Donaldson in the final moments of training forcing Joe Schmidt to add a figurative ‘TBC’ to his side for Sunday’s clash (AEST) with the Springboks.

Schmidt made just one change to the Wallabies starting side from the third Test victory over the Lions, with veteran pivot James O’Connor confirmed to start at No.10 in his first Test in almost three years. The 64-Test playmaker has replaced Tom Lynagh, who suffered a concussion in Sydney.

With Rob Valetini still not fit enough for a return, there was only one other change on the bench, with Nick Champion de Crespigny named in a 6-2 split.

But it was the versatile Donaldson who was strangely left out as one of the two back reserves. It soon emerged the bench had been hastily cobbled together – and could still be changed after the Wallabies captains run on Friday night (AEST)– after Donaldson suffered an unspecified upper leg injury in the final minutes of training on Thursday. Scans are all-but certain to rule him out.

With only halfback Tate McDermott and winger Andrew Kellaway named on the bench, that leaves the Wallabies with no recognised back-up at No.10, or for that matter, anyone who has even spent time in the demanding role at professional level.

It will be a huge gamble by Schmidt, if unchanged, given there is currently no safety net for 35-year-old O’Connor, who would have to play the full 80 minutes in his first Test match in three years, and after he only started one game all season for the Crusaders.

Schmidt said Nic White or Kellaway could cover five-eighth if they stick with the same bench, but he also conceded Tane Edmed, who is on the tour as the Wallabies’ third playmaker, could potentially be added to a re-cast reserves bench on match eve.

“In the second last play of the training, Donno kicked the ball and pulled up short,” Schmidt said.

“So we don’t know what the extent of the injury is. We’ve only been back from training for about an hour. So he will get a scan. We’ll have a definitive picture because we need to know for next week as well whether we need more cover.

“And at the same time, we’re still trying to probably work out what we do to best get that coverage (for No.10 at Ellis Park). Nic White can maybe cover 10 and is astute enough to do so. Andrew Kellaway has the skill set to cover 10. But it does leave us a little bit light.

“That’s something that we’re going to look at the captain’s run and just see what best fits for us. Because it’s all it’s all happened just in a very short space of time.

“(Edmed) is in consideration for sure. Tane is one of the options. Hunter Paisami played 10 until in the under 20s and then shifted to 12, plus gives us really good midfield cover. So there’s a few options that we’re just going to try to get our best coverage and best confidence from.”

Schmidt said the initial plan was to give Edmed a run next week in the second Test in Cape Town, given he’d had limited training with the side.

The decision to pick O’Connor to start earlier in the week was based on a plan to give the veteran and Donaldson 40 minutes each, Schmidt said.

O’Connor, who debuted for the Wallabies in 2008, played his last Test in 2022 in the No.10 against Argentina in San Juan. It was a heavy loss for the Wallabies. O’Connor partnered Nic White in the halves, and the pair will re-unite in Johannesburg after White delayed his Test retirement to cover for an injured Jake Gordon.

Having debuted in 2008, O’Connor will now claim the record for the longest Wallabies career at 16 years and 281 days, passing Greg Holmes.

The 35-year-old had a career renaissance at the Crusaders this year, where he carved a niche as an expert finisher.

“We obviously tracked him through the Super Rugby, playing for the Crusaders. I’ve seen him play for a number of years, probably because he’s played for a number of years, a very long career, but hasn’t played for the Wallabies for three years, so he’s pretty excited about that opportunity,” Schmidt said.

The entire starting forward pack remains the same, including Will Skelton at lock and Taniela Tupou at tighthead prop. There was speculation Tupou was in doubt with a toe injury, but he’ll play.

Tom Hooper has also been retained at No.6 after a man-of-the-match performance in Sydney.