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Wayne Smith | October 23, 2008
RUGBY UNION: Not even Robbie Deans has a clue which Test position James O'Connor will end up calling his own but he knows where he will set out from, yesterday declaring the precocious teenager would play exclusively at fullback on the Wallabies tour.
O'Connor, who will become the youngest Wallaby in 50 years on the tour and second only to 1957 winger Brian Ford on the all-time list of youthful Australian Test players, is talented enough to fill any backline position and in the years to come might very well tick off every number from nine to 15. If so, he at least will start in reverse order.
"Over time, he could play a number of positions but at this moment I believe fullback is the best point of entry," said Deans on the eve of the Wallabies' assembly in Sydney today. "I'd like the simplicity of him being able to concentrate on one role."
Deans' opinion is one widely shared; O'Connor's Western Force coach John Mitchell having announced this week that, although he used the Matt Giteau-sized 18-year-old at inside centre in his four Super 14 performances this season, he intends to periodically rotate him to fullback next year to reduce some of the physical demands on him.
Former Wallabies captain Mark Ella also has called for O'Connor to be given the chance to establish himself at fullback, not as he believes that is necessarily his best spot but because of all the positions he could fill, it is the one causing the Australian selectors most grief.
Adam Ashley-Cooper and Drew Mitchell both have had their moments at 15 this season, but neither has come close to entrenching himself as the long-term successor to Chris Latham. Although he is an exceptional ball-player, an attribute Deans demands of his fullbacks, O'Connor is "only" 180cm tall, which seemingly puts him at a disadvantage in coping with the in-vogue tactic of drawing the fullback into no-man's land by targeting high balls to land just outside the 22.
However, Deans is unconcerned. "He's got great elevation," he said.
Deans plans to use all 34 members of the touring party at some point in the gruelling tour, which takes in five Tests leading up to the finale of a match against a virtual World XV when the Wallabies confront the Barbarians at Wembley on December 3. He is making no promises, adjusting to whatever fortunes arise, but if every player does get game time then it might not just be O'Connor given a stab at fullback but also Waratahs winger Lachlan Turner. How much action Turner sees will be heavily influenced by how Lote Tuqiri performs in training over the next few days. Although he resumed light running this week, he still has some way to go to convince Deans he should be handed a boarding pass at Sydney Airport on Monday.
"He's started running but now he'll have to run a lot more," Deans said. "A lot depends on how he responds to the increased volume of running. He's also going to have a VO2 test (to measure his fitness level after more than a month recuperating from a knee injury)."
Deans refused to draw a cut-off line in terms of how much time he was prepared to give his most-capped winger to get back to full fitness. "It's not worth the conjecture," he said. "We'll respond to what the medical staff tell us. We don't want to compromise his future because he does have a future."
It's the immediate past that will be the focus for Tuqiri and his Wallabies team-mates when they attend the John Eales Medal dinner tonight. Disconcertingly, among the leading contenders for the award will surely be Rocky Elsom, Dan Vickerman and James Horwill, all players who will miss the tour.
However, awards specialist, flanker George Smith, also will be right in the hunt, while Berrick Barnes also could figure prominently, albeit handicapped by the fact he missed the past two Tests because of injury.
Injury also should have an impact on halfback Luke Burgess' chances of claiming rookie of the year, although winger Peter Hynes, 26, is going to take some beating after starting in every Test this season.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...015651,00.html