James O'Connor

university = relatives = spouse = children = occupation = position = Fly-half, Centre, Wing, Fullback currentclub = youthyears1 = –2008 youthclubs1 = Brothers amatyears1 = 2013 amatteam1 = West Harbour amatapps1 = 1 amatpoints1 = 10 amatyears2 = 2022–2026 amatteam2 = Brothers amatapps2 = 8 amatpoints2 = 44 ru_amupdate = 1 September 2024 years1 = 2008–2011 clubs1 = apps1 = 39 points1 = 306 years2 = 2012–2013 clubs2 = apps2 = 21 points2 = 201 years3 = 2013–2014 clubs3 = London Irish apps3 = 15 points3 = 100 years4 = 2014–2017 clubs4 = Toulon apps4 = 51 points4 = 116 years5 = 2015 clubs5 = apps5 = 13 points5 = 44 years6 = 2017–2019 clubs6 = Sale Sharks apps6 = 32 points6 = 15 years7 = 2019–2024 clubs7 = apps7 = 57 points7 = 379 years8 = 2025 clubs8 = apps8 = 16 points8 = 48 years9 = 2025–2026 clubs9 = Leicester Tigers apps9 = 13 points9 = 53 years10 = 2027– clubs10 = apps10 = 0 points10 = 0 ru_clubupdate = 2 September 2026 repyears1 = 2007 repteam1 = Australia Schoolboys repcaps1 = 2 or nicknames "Rabs" (short for rabbit) and "Peter Pan", is an Australian professional rugby union player. Known for his versatility on the field, he has played multiple positions in the backline, including wing and fullback. However O'Connor's primary position is at fly-half or centre. He made his debut with the Perth-based Super Rugby team, the Western Force, and has since played for three other Super Rugby teams; the Melbourne Rebels, Queensland Reds & New Zealand's Crusaders. O'Connor has also played domestically with English teams London Irish, Sale Sharks, and Leicester Tigers as well as French team Toulon.

Making his international debut at 18-years-old for Australia, O'Connor has earned over sixty caps for the Wallabies, and scored more than 270 points. O'Connor has competed at two Rugby World Cups and was part of Australia's third-place finish in 2011.

Early life O'Connor was born in Australia on the Gold Coast. He eventually became a boarder at Nudgee College in Brisbane's northern suburbs.

In 2006 O'Connor suffered a ruptured spleen, Following this low, O'Connor was in talks with the Western Force and the Queensland Reds, however, nothing eventuated and O'Connor was forced to move abroad.

Europe On 28 October 2013, O'Connor indicated that he was en route to London to play rugby for "a few months". He was signed by London Irish in October 2013 until the end of the 2013–14 season. He made his debut against Northampton Saints on 3 November and set up the only try that day. He claimed his first try for the club against Worcester Warriors on 4 January 2014, in a match ending 22–9 to the Exiles with O'Connor scoring all 22 points.

2015: First Reds stint In 2015, he returned to Super Rugby in a bid to make the Australia squad for the 2015 Rugby World Cup. O'Connor produced solid performances and was arguably one of the higher performers for a poor Queensland outfit, being shifted between fullback, fly-half and wing in his first appearances before locking down the Red 15 jersey in the last rounds of the season.

On 13 October, the Queensland Rugby Union and Queensland Reds announced that O'Connor would be released from his contract effective immediately, meaning he would not play the 2016 Super Rugby season for the Reds and finish his two-year contract. O'Connor's release also meant the end of a potential appearance for Brisbane City in the domestic National Rugby Championship had he sufficiently recovered to play.

2015–2019: Return to Europe

In 2015, after failing to make the Australian 2015 Rugby World Cup squad with the , O'Connor signed with Toulon in the French Top 14, joining former Super Rugby and Wallabies teammates Matt Giteau, Drew Mitchell and Quade Cooper. After allegations of cocaine use, Toulon decided not to renew his contract. O'Connor left the club at the ending of the season.

In 2017 O'Connor signed with English Premiership club Sale Sharks shortly before the 2017–18 season. After playing 31 games over two years, Sale Sharks agreed to a contract release, allowing him to pursue his ambition to play for Australia at the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

2019–2024: Second Reds stint In July 2019, O'Connor signed a two-year deal with the Queensland Reds and Rugby Australia under what was understood to be strict behavioural clauses.

In 2021, O'Connor was announced as captain of the Queensland Reds for the Super Rugby AU season, stepping in for the injured Liam Wright. The Reds went on to have an undefeated season under his leadership (as Wright captained their only loss), including winning the Super Rugby AU title in a home final at Suncorp Stadium. He served as co-captain with Liam Wright for the remainder of the 2021 season, including during their Super Rugby Trans-Tasman campaign. In 2022, O'Connor relinquished the captaincy, stating that he had "bitten off too much", which caused him to burn out. After making 100 Super Rugby appearances for the Reds, it was reported that O'Connor would leave Queensland for an opportunity overseas. It was later confirmed that O'Connor signed for Super Rugby side Crusaders in New Zealand for the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season.

Crusaders At the end of the 2024 Reds season, O'Connor, who had signed a one-year contract extension with the Reds at the end of 2023, had played an insignificant part of the season for the team. Playing just three regular season matches, all as a substitute, O'Connor rejected another contract offer. Following his release, O'Connor was heavily linked with Christchurch-based team the Crusaders in early October 2024. On 4 October 2024, it was revealed that the Crusaders had signed O'Connor for the 2025 season. Although labelled a 'shock' move in some publications, O'Connor was linked with New Zealand Super Rugby franchise, the Chiefs in 2020/21. O'Connor also has New Zealander-Australian parents and holds a New Zealand passport.

While at the Crusaders, O'Connor had been deployed as a reserve first-five eighth behind Taha Kemara. which saw O'Connor win his second Super Rugby title.

Leicester Tigers On 26 June 2025, it was confirmed that O'Connor would return to the United Kingdom to join English Premiership side Leicester Tigers from the 2025–26 season. He played a total of 13 games for Leicester, scoring one try and 56 points overall.

2027: Return to the Force After the conclusion of the 2025–26 Premiership season, O'Connor was reportedly in negotiations to join the Sharks franchise in Durban, South Africa ahead of the 2026–27 United Rugby Championship season. O'Connor mentioned that the opportunity to play for the Sharks "would've been unreal... My mum's parents are South African, my grandad's from Durban so that would have been a cool experience to do that."

By late July, O'Connor's next move was reported to be the Perth-based , the same team he made his professional debut with. On 1 September 2026, it was revealed that O'Connor had joined the Force on a one-year deal ahead of the 2027 season.

Player profile O'Connor is a very versatile player, being able to play anywhere in the back line as a fly-half, centre, full-back or wing and is usually described as a utility back. When asked about his preferred position in 2009, he said, "I feel more comfortable at 12 as a second ball player. I also like 15. You definitely get a lot of space. I just want to get on the field whether it is 10, 12 or 15." O'Connor was one of four uncapped players in the squad. O'Connor, alongside Western Force teammate Matt Giteau helped to seal the win, which had been locked up 20-all in the final 20 minutes of the match. usually playing fly-half with Matt To'omua at inside centre.

In August 2025, he returned to the Australia starting side for the first time in three years ahead of the opening fixture of the 2025 Rugby Championship against South Africa after an injury to first choice fly-half Ben Donaldson. That side went on to score 38 unanswered points having been 22–0 down after 20 minutes in a 38–22 victory, with O'Connor scoring four conversions. This was also the first time Australia had won at Ellis Park since 1963.

Career statistics Club

International

+ Statistics by team and yearTeamYearStatisticAppsTriesCon.Pen.DropPoints Australia 2008 1 0 0 0 0 0 2009 13 4 2 1 0 27 2010 13 6 16 10 0 92 2011 10 2 20 13 1 72 2013 7 2 1 1 0 15 2019 8 0 0 0 0 0 2020 3 0 1 2 0 8 2021 6 0 4 10 0 18 2022 3 0 2 1 0 7 2025 7 0 15 2 0 36 Total 71 14 61 40 1 315 Australia A 2023 2 0 0 0 0 0 Total 2 0 0 0 0 0

International tries + List of international tries scored by James O'Connor 2 3 4 Lang Park, Brisbane 2009 Tri Nations Series 5 September 200921–6 5 Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria 2010 Tri Nations Series 28 August 201031–44 6 7 Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein 4 September 201041–39 8 Stadium Australia, Sydney 11 September 201022–23 9 Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong 2010 Autumn Internationals 30 October 201026–24 10 Stade de France, Saint-Denis 27 November 201059–16 11 Stadium Australia, Sydney 2011 Tri Nations Series 23 July 201139–20 12 North Harbour Stadium, Albany (New Zealand) 2011 Rugby World Cup 11 September 201132–6 13 British & Irish Lions Stadium Australia, Sydney 2013 British & Irish Lions tour of Australia 6 July 201316–41 14 Stadium Australia, Sydney 2013 Rugby Championship 17 August 201329–47

Off field Controversies O'Connor has been involved in a number of off-field controversies, attracting criticism from senior members of the Wallabies.

Media O'Connor was a participant in the second season of reality competition series Australia's Greatest Athlete.