O'Connor tops the class as other wonder boys go backwards

[travelling_gerry]

Spiro Zavos | April 21, 2009


JAMES O'CONNOR, a scrawny, brilliant kind of a player, chased after the loose ball, grabbed it and then booted it into the stands. It was fitting that the best player on the field closed out a well-deserved victory for the enterprising Western Force over the lacklustre Waratahs.

Scott Staniforth was awarded the man-of-the-match award, mainly because of his courageous dive for the line to score the Force's second, and match-clinching, try.
But it was O'Connor who provided the sparkle and zest in attack, as well as some steel in defence, that allowed the Force to complete a slam of victories over Australian sides.

He made a pinpoint cut-out pass to put Staniforth in the clear for his dash to the try line. This ability to pass long and accurately while running at pace is a rare skill in Australian rugby. Stephen Larkham had the skill and Matt Giteau has it, and now we have O'Connor.

Towards the end of the match when the Waratahs made a series of charges to try to pull off a victory, O'Connor knocked over Wycliff Palu, skittling him so emphatically that you'd think that he and not Palu had the 30-kilogram weight advantage. But then last season O'Connor, playing his first starting game for the Force, easily handled massive Hurricanes No.12 Ma'a Nonu.

One of the stories within the narrative of the 2009 tournament has been the progress (or lack of progress) of the three wonder-boy backs, Kurtley Beale, Quade Cooper and O'Connor. Cooper and O'Connor were selected for the Wallabies tour at the end of last year.

To my mind, there was an element of warehousing in these selections as Cooper, who was born in New Zealand, was being chased by New Zealand officials and O'Connor, through his family, was eligible to represent Australia, South Africa or New Zealand.

After a promising start this season, Beale has been relegated to the reserves and is being used as an impact player. He has been the victim of the Waratahs' overly defensive and limited game plan, which places an undue emphasis on kicking.

The flaw in Cooper's game has always been his tendency for headless-chook plays. Wallabies coach Robbie Deans was able to harness Cooper's brilliant step and slick passing, getting him to underplay his game until it came time to strike - as he did with a sensational match-winning try against Italy.

Cooper took this form into the early rounds of the Super 14 but against the Lions on Saturday night, as the Reds sank to a "disgraceful" (in the words of coach Phil Mooney) 31-20 defeat, Cooper was back to his worst. The Waratahs' loss to the Force means they go into their bye round with two successive defeats and face the difficult prospect of three matches in South Africa.

The momentum in the race to the finals has shifted to the Chiefs, who have won six successive matches, the Crusaders, with four successive victories, the Blues and the Hurricanes, with two successive wins, and the Brumbies, with three victories on the trot.

The Force have a mathematical chance of making the finals. There is some pessimistic talk about difficulties involved with Australia fielding a fifth Super team.

The achievements of the Force put a lie to this.

Their foundation coach, John Mitchell, is right when he insists, "We are doing some great things for Australian rugby".

Playing the most entertaining rugby of the Australian sides and fostering the prodigious rugby talent of O'Connor are among those great things.

spiro@theroar.com.au


http://www.rugbyheaven.com.au/news/n...079604982.html

[rugbygirl92]

Beale was poor when he started was put into the most important postion and expected to play well under the pressure.. with the surrounding tahs players he was never going to do well

O'Connor is an excellent player and will make a good number 10 but because he is learning from giteau... like giteau from larkham

Cooper went well after playin with giteau but has also dropped off under the pressure of playin 10 in the worlds toughest comp, maybe Barnes should move back to 10

All of the "Wonder Boys" need to play 12 outside a good number 10 so they can develope their skills and learn the game...

But O'Connor is definitely winning, he outshines Cooper and Beale and is even showing more skill and determination the Barnes

[GIGS20]

I don't think it's quite that simple RugbyGirl. The biggest determining factor in any elite sportsman is the mental aspect of their approach to the game. I don't believe Beale would ever live up to the hype, because he doesn't seem to want to put in the hard yards. on the training track. Cooper is actually a very good player, who is prone to brain farts (unfortunately at least a couple a game, and usually when his team is under the greatest pressure) This may never be resolved except by moving him to a position where he's under less pressure. Simply sticking them outside Stephen Donald, or Dan Carter might not do a single thing to help Quade calm down in first reciever or Kurtley want to lay off the junk food and train.

Rabbit is an excellent prospect, but his mind needs to be carefully managed, and I think John Mitchell is the ideal man to do that, Mitch is the man to do that more than any other coach in Australia. Rabbit doesn't need to sit outside a good flyhalf for 5 years, he needs to sit in whichever position allows him to develop his game and his approach to the game best, sometimes that position will be #10 and sometimes it'll be in a suit on the sidelines.

IMHO

[Ave88]

Hi guys. First message on this website for me : )


Anyway. I just think it's pretty clear that nowadays, JOC is already the best 12 in Australia. Not just compared to the other young prospect mentionned here, but in general.

If you disagree, just take a closer look at his game. I once read in a article some coach or rugby critic saying about JOC, after his HK sevens tournament, that everything he did, he did it swiftly, with aggressivity and positivity. And I noticed it : every time he touches the ball, something good and positive seems to happens. I am not saying he breaks the line everytime. Of course not. But he just pops the right pass, run the right line, he makes the right kick.. When he is tackled, something will come out from the ruck, or in the next phase. As if he was blessed or something ^^. It's pretty exciting to watch, and very inspiring when you play rugby yourself as I do.

Of course he can become even better, no question about that. But as he plays right now, I rate him better than Barnes already, and I think he is ready for a spot the starting wallaby back line. His passing skillz put him alongside Giteau, his defense's pretty good, he can break the line, he has some wicked footwork and a very decent speed (seen him chase the shark's flyer last month ?). Oh and I forgot something : he has a very promising rugby brain. The only thing he can really improve I believe is his kicking game, which is probably not as long it could be. BUt Git's kicking game isn't that long either and he plays 10, so for a 12 it's fine as it is.


I just went through what I wrote and I realize I sound like a fan boy, but what the heck I used to be a fan of Carter and McAlister when I first got into rugby. Now I am a fan of JOC, and I think that if his development continues on the right track (no injury, proper game time, etc), he'll be even better than those two. Anybody know how Dan Carter used to play when he was 18 ?


Cheers !

[fulvio sammut]

Ave, Ave.

[Flamethrower]

Welcome Ave88.

Hope you stick around and join in.

I still feel Giteau is the best 12 in Australia. He's just playing at 10.

[gotheforce]

For someone only into his second year of professional rugby, JOC in my opinion has already surpassed Barnes as the next 10, after Gits. Barnes has a steady pass and kicking game, but JOC has that and possess a certain X-factor. He's not afraid to go for a run, and not afraid to be risky and daring with his plays (something Cooper holds as well, just that he makes quite a bit of wrong decisions.) And the tackling game of JOC is amazing. He readily takes on the forwards without any hesitation, and makes some pretty good hits on guys who are 30+kg heavier than him.

The force NEEDS to keep JOC in the team, because he is definitely the next big thing in rugby.

All that early talk about Beale being the next big thing 2 years ago has been a load of hogwash. I don't see anything in Beale that makes him any better than the likes of Cooper, Halangahu or Lealifano. In fact, i'm starting to place Beale behind Gits, JOC, Cooper and Halangahu in terms of australian flyhalves.

Cooper actually has moments of brilliance. Just sometimes he makes some stupid decisions that doesnt pay off. His passing game isnt too bad, but his kicking game need some improvement.
Everyone already know Beale lacks the defensive skills, but his attacking game isnt there yet. He does the basics right in passing the ball and tactical kicking, but nothing special there.
Halangahu i can kinda see him as a Stephen Donald/Butch James like player. Has a pretty decent kick, passes alright, and good defensive game. A good player to have if you have special 12s and 13s outside of him.
JOC is like a mixture of Gits and Carter. Almost every aspect of his game is pretty strong, but he still needs more experience in his preferred position. I don't quite see him as a 15, but more of a 10 or 12. Its a bit of a waste having him at 15. You'd want him to get his hands on the ball as much as possible in attack.

[shasta]

Everyone already know Beale lacks the defensive skills, but his attacking game isnt there yet. He does the basics right in passing the ball and tactical kicking, but nothing special there.
.

Been said plenty of times but I think he could have been OK had he not been rushed straight from school to S14 in a team that does not have the game plan to use his instinctive skills and has not been able to develop them any further. Some players need nurturing, others like JOC, Gits & Bam have just been gifted the natural abilities. Lucky buggers.

Apart from his defensive problems Kurtley does not possess the long passing game needed to succeed as a Rugby 5/8. His interests may be best served by going back to RL where what's mostly needed is the ability to chuck a good face ball in traffic or pick out the second man runners..

[rahrahgirl]

i never understood why everyone was so quick to rush gits to ten when he was such a good 12, likewise rush barnes from 10 to 12. i dont think JOC is past barnes yet but he isnt far off and i dont see why JOC cant be a long term 12, with a player like that one wider as gits used to do and as the all blacks have played for a few years it only really creates opportunities for him and the players around him. by having the ball more in the number 10 spot he isnt going to get more opportunities he is going to get closed down faster and in my opinion his running game is better than gits and the extra space of 12 will be a greater asset to him moving forward.