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James O'Connor to agree extra behaviour clauses in new contract - reports

It looks like O'Connor will need to sign extra behaviour clauses if he is to reignite his Wallaby career. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Sale Sharks agreed to release James O’Connor from his contract at the club on Tuesday, in order for the versatile back to return to Australia and push for inclusion in the Wallaby squad for the upcoming Rugby World Cup.

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O’Connor’s previous time in Australia had been marred by off-field controversies, the last of which resulted in the ARU ending its contractual agreement with the player, who shortly thereafter left the Melbourne Rebels and moved to Europe.

He had stints at London Irish and Toulon, as well as a season with the Reds, before agreeing to join Sale in 2017, a club which has become infamous for its willingness to take gambles on players with chequered pasts.

Danny Cipriani, Marlon Yarde and Denny Solomona have all searched for redemption in the north-west and it seems as if Sale’s correctional ways will once again be put to the test as O’Connor leaves the club for a new challenge.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, O’Connor’s contract with the Reds has been held up by the side’s desire to include extra behavioural clauses in the agreement.

With the franchise having been hurt by off-field incidents with Karmichael Hunt and James Slipper in the past, not to mention O’Connor’s own indiscretions at the Rebels and more recently in Europe, it seems they are seeking to cover themselves should the back’s return to Australia not go as planned.

O’Connor, 28, has 44 caps for the Wallabies, although the last of them came in 2013, with the playmaker having been in the international wilderness since then. His earlier move to the Reds was in order to try and make the national team for the 2015 Rugby World Cup, something which didn’t happen, and O’Connor will be hoping that he has more success this time around.

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Following Israel Folau’s sacking by the ARU, there is potentially a hole in the Wallaby line-up at 15. If Dane Haylett-Petty moves over to fill it, that opens up space on the wing, whilst a similar move for Kurtley Beale would free up the 12 jersey.

Whatever way Michael Cheika opts to go over the next few months, O’Connor’s ability to play all three back three positions and both centre spots puts him in a strong place to be the kind of versatile utility back that are so coveted in the 31-man Rugby World Cup squads.

Watch: World Rugby comes under fire for ‘elite’ women’s tournament

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Flankly 2 hours ago
'Absolute madness': Clive Woodward rips into Borthwick in wake of NZ loss

Borthwick is supposed to be the archetypical conservative coach, the guy that might not deliver a sparkling, high-risk attacking style, but whose teams execute the basics flawlessly. And that's OK, because it can be really hard to beat teams that are rock solid and consistent in the rugby equivalent of "blocking and tackling".


But this is why the performance against NZ is hard to defend. You can forgive a conservative, back-to-basics team for failing to score tons of tries, because teams like that make up for it with reliability in the simple things. They can defend well, apply territorial pressure, win the set piece battles, and take their scoring chances with metronomic goal kicking, maul tries and pick-and-go goal line attacks.


The reason why the English rugby administrators should be on high alert is not that the English team looked unable to score tries, but that they were repeatedly unable to close out a game by executing basic, coachable skills. Regardless of how they got to the point of being in control of their destiny, they did get to that point. All that was needed was to be world class at things that require more training than talent. But that training was apparently missing, and the finger has to point at the coach.


Borthwick has been in the job for nearly two years, a period that includes two 6N programs and an RWC campaign. So where are the solid foundations that he has been building?

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