James O'Connor eyes World Cup. Photo / Getty Images
Controversial Australian back James O'Connor has promised to "knuckle down" and put his off-field disciplinary problems behind him after being offered the chance to resurrect his career with London Irish.
The 23-year-old, who was formally unveiled as an Exiles player after signing a contract until the end of the season, said that his decision to leave Australia for Britain was as much to do with his "personal development" as the challenge on the rugby field.
O'Connor's bad boy reputation hit a new low in September when he was ejected from Perth Airport by federal police after attempting to board an international flight in a drunken state. He was subsequently suspended from the Wallabies squad until the end of the year by new coach Ewen McKenzie and had his lucrative contract with the Australian Rugby Union terminated.
It was the latest in a series of misdemeanours by O'Connor, which included being photographed in a Melbourne fast-food restaurant at 4am just three days before the second British and Irish Lions test.
O'Connor, who would almost certainly be lining up with his com-patriots against England on Sunday (NZ time) had he not fallen out with the Australian authorities, is hoping a fresh start at the Madejski Stadium will allow him to resume his international career in time for the 2015 Rugby World Cup, though he admits that recent events had been a tough lesson.
"I'm not going to lie, I've made many mistakes and that's how I've got myself into that position, but I'd like to take a positive out of it," he said. "I've drawn a line in the sand and I want to look to the future now. Obviously, the spring tour was taken out of my hands and it's going to be tough watching the boys at the weekend, but I'm definitely going to be at the game supporting them.
"Where I am in my life right now, I think this is the best thing for me to move forward. London Irish have given me a second chance and I'll take that. I want to be talked about for playing my rugby and that's it, so this is an opportunity to just knuckle down and play some quality rugby."
O'Connor is poised to make his debut as fullback against Northampton on Sunday and Brian Smith, London Irish's director of rugby, believes that such a marquee signing will prove a shot in the arm for the club, who have won only two of their six league games this season.
"James is a world-class player," he said. "Clearly, any team in this league would be delighted to have him. He's an asset not just for London Irish but for the game in this country."
Smith said that he was aware of O'Connor's off-field problems but had been reassured by conversations with some of his former coaches going back to his school days as well as the player himself.
He said that O'Connor was aware of his responsibilities and was ready to embrace the club's strong, "family-orientated" culture. "James is a prodigious talent," Smith said. "There's been a lot that's happened in Australia in recent times. He's come over here to put that behind him and we really want to look forward. The key focus now for James is to get his head around playing on Sunday. We don't want him always looking over his shoulder. Hopefully, it's all been documented and it's behind him now. This is an opportunity for him to turn over a new leaf and crack on."
O'Connor, who has been capped 44 times by Australia and was the second youngest player to pull on a Wallaby jersey when he made his test debut at the age of 18, can play at wing, centre, first-five or fullback but is keen to concentrate on the fullback role at his new club. He is also likely to take over kicking duties from first-five Shane Geraghty, whose failure to convert a last-minute penalty last Sunday cost Irish the match against Newcastle.
"I want to develop into a 15, and into a world-class 15," O'Connor said. "I've played all over the park and being able to play as a utility has got me into a lot of teams, but at the same time I haven't really been able to nail down one position.
"It's always been my goal to be a world-class player in one position," he said.