The youngest player to ever play in Super Rugby, James O’Connor made his debut with the Western Force in 2008 at just 17 years old. His performance then earned him selection for the Wallabies and he was awarded Rookie of the Year for both squads.

James later played for the Melbourne Rebels, then headed overseas to London Irish, notably scoring all of the team’s 22 points and the only try in a game against Worcester Warriors. He also played for Toulon, Sale Sharks then returned to the Queensland Reds and was again selected for the Wallabies for the 2019 Rugby World Cup. James captained the Reds to victory in the Super Rugby AU competition in 2021 - a season which saw his side undefeated under his leadership.

He has almost 70 caps for the Wallabies, is the second highest point scorer for the Western Force and 3rd highest for the Queensland Reds.

James is a versatile player who can play anywhere in the back line, with over 200 professional rugby games under his belt before arriving at Rugby Park.