O’Connor must thank Diamond for his rehab
LIKE many socalled ‘bad boys’ I’ve always found James O’Connor good value, a terrific player and an engaging bloke to interview. He is a thinking, occasionally flawed, individual far removed from the obedient robots that many coaches seem to prefer and although he possesses many strengths he is only too aware of his personal weaknesses and demons.
O’Connor has also suffered cruel luck with injury and his fight back from a chronic ankle injury over the last three or four years has been of Jonny proportions in its tenacity and refusal to bow to the ‘inevitable’ and hang up his boots ahead of time.
So you didn’t have to be an Aussie fan to enjoy his startling Test comeback at centre against New Zealand last week when the Aussies inflicted a record number of points on the All Blacks. O’Connor was flying the flag for all disgruntled players who have either derailed their careers through their own stupidity and vices, struggled with chronic injury and suffered from selectorial madness and incompetence. Just keep plugging on.
Still only 29, O’Connor walked around the Optus Stadium in Perth afterwards in a state of shock and amazement. Remarkably it had been his first Test start in six years. You could see it all on his face. Where had it all gone wrong? What on earth had he been doing with his life. Afterwards he tried to put those thoughts into words.
“I made a lot of mistakes when I was younger and I’ve learnt from it now,” mused O’Connor. “I guess I have a bit of wisdom on ways you can do it better so that people don’t follow what I did and waste five years of their career and their life. It’s just been so special to come back and be a part of it. I’ve been dedicated and really chased what I wanted. I have put it out there and have the guts to fight my ego and come back and do what I love.”
O’Connor can only blame himself for his alcohol related incidents and his flirtation with the drug scene in France although neither are unique to young men finding their feet in the world.
Where he was perhaps unlucky is that nothing can prepare you for the excitement and profile of being a star and golden boy so young – he was capped at 18 and 126 days – and little can protect you from selectors who can’t decide whether you are a full-back, wing, centre or fly-half. O’Connor was tried in all four positions and impressed in most but perversely that versatility started to count against him.
The chronic ankle ligament injury which haunted his time at Toulon and Sale was nasty. In France he was having weekly cortisone injections – not good – while at Sale he resorted to going off piste and paying for his own plasma injections into the joint in the hope that it would kick-start the healing process. What was actually needed of course was time and patience, neither of which are commonplace in professional sport
O’Connor was lucky therefore that Steve Diamond suddenly emerged centre stage. Diamond seems to have no problem with ‘difficult’ characters, in fact he clearly has a soft spot for the game’s rebels and rejects.
He welcomed Danny Cipriani with open arms when he returned from his spell at the Melbourne Rebels and every other Premiership club kept their distance. Cipriani’s twoyear spell at Sale completely rehabilitated him as a player and by the end of his first season at Sale, Cipriani was playing Test standard rugby even if Stuart Lancaster and England turned a Nelsonian eye.
Diamond might have bristled a little when just about every post-match question concerned Danny – even when he wasn’t playing – but he continued to back his man despite unwelcome headlines about his personal life and when the lad got drunk on a team night out and got run over by a tram.
Equally Diamond had no hesitation in signing O’Connor when he was discarded at Toulon in the aftermath of allegations that he had attempted to buy cocaine when in the company of Ali Williams.
The Sale boss stood by O’Connor throughout his injury struggles despite getting limited rugby out of him for long periods and by the end of last season you could see O’Connor was back in the groove again. Michael Cheika was always going to be on the phone sooner rather than later.
When Marland Yarde fell out spectacularly with Quins mid-season, it was Diamond who provided a port in a storm while it was no surprise that Chris Ashton – another spikey and ‘controversial’ character in the eyes of some – chose Sale when he decided to terminate his spell at Toulon. Diamond will be hoping these two quality players lead the charge for his team in the Premiership this season. They owe him.
Nor should we forget the case of Mark Jennings who suffered horrendously from injuries, depression and alcohol issues for long periods during his eight years at Sale where the club went the extra mile more than once to support him.
The outwardly abrasive Diamond might not be everybody’s cup of tea but he has a track record second to none of helping those who need a shoulder and a bit of TLC in this macho game of ours.