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The 'almost magnetic' partnership that could guide the Wallabies to victory over Los Pumas

(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

James O’Connor has lauded an “almost magnetic” understanding between young centres Jordan Petaia and Hunter Paisami as the Wallabies prepare for their final test of the year, against Argentina in Sydney on Saturday night.

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The veteran playmaker, who is set to return from injury, said he took Paisami aside after his Wallabies squad selection and told him of the potential he saw in his pairing with Petaia.

While 20-year-old Petaia was already earmarked as an emerging superstar, Paisami,  22, has been one of the finds of 2020 after making his Super Rugby debut with Queensland and going on to play in four of five tests so far.

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Sam Cane and Ian Foster speak to media following All Blacks win over Pumas

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Sam Cane and Ian Foster speak to media following All Blacks win over Pumas

O’Connor has watched their development close up at the Reds and predicted a long and successful centre partnership.

“I actually had this conversation with Hunter at the start of the campaign as the best element of what he and Jordie bring is that they complement each other,” O’Connor said on Monday.

“They can play up and down straight, they can get into wide channels, they can both hit and one of the big other things is that they have a pretty good understanding of each other.

“For me as a 10, they make my job really easy … these guys have their own ideas and they’re finding each other on the field more often then not.

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“They’re gravitating towards each other, almost magnetic.”

O’Connor missed the last three tests with a knee injury and then a foot issue, which he said he aggravated when trying to return too early so he didn’t lose his grip on the No.10 jersey.

Makeshift five-eighth Reece Hodge has excelled at five eighth in the past two games as the Wallabies posted a win over New Zealand and then a frustrating draw with the Pumas.

O’Connor remained hopeful he would get the nod for the final test.

“You never want to give someone an opportunity in your spot and that’s why I pushed to rush back the week earlier from my injury,” the 30-year-old said.

“Hodgey has done a really good job but I’m still putting my hand up to get that No.10 jersey back.”

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O’Connor said the Australians wanted to finish the year on a high and use it as a springboard into 2021 and he felt coach Dave Rennie would name a full-strength line-up.

A win will see them finish a six-match campaign with two wins, two draws and two losses.

“This game is a must-win game for us, it’s very important for our campaign and moving forward as a group,” he said.

“It’s not just finishing this campaign (well), it’s a springboard for us into next year.

“It’s not about handing out a jersey, it’s about winning this game and taking forward what we’ve learnt.”

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Tom 4 hours ago
Will Bristol's daredevil 'Bears-ball' deliver the trophy they crave?

Also a Bristol fan and echo your sentiments.


I love watching Bristol but their approach will only get them so far I think. Exeter played like this when they first got promoted to the prem and had intermittent success, it wasn't until they wised up and played a more balanced game that they became a consistently top side.


I really want Bristol to continue playing this brand of rugby and I don't mind them running it from under their posts but I don't think they need to do it every single time. They need to be just a little bit more selective about when and where on the pitch they play. Every game they put themselves under so much needless pressure by turning the ball over under their posts trying to do kamikaze moves when it's not required. By all means run it from your goal line if there is a chance for a counter attack, we all want to see Bristol running in 100m tries from under their posts but I think until they learn when to do it and when to be pragmatic, they are unlikely to win the premiership.


Defense has been a real positive from Bristol, they've shown a lot of improvement there... And I will say that I think this kamikaze strategy they employ is a very good one for a struggling side and could be employed by Newcastle. It's seems to have turned around Gloucester's fortunes. The big advantage is even if you don't have the biggest and best players, what you have is cohesion. This is why Scotland keep battering England. England have better individuals but they look muddled as a team, trying to play a mixed strategy under coaches who lack charisma, the team has no identity. Scotland come out and give it full throttle from 1-15 even if they struggle against the top sides, sides like England and Wales who lack that identity drown under the relentless will and synergy of the Scots. If Newcastle did the same they could really surprise some people, I know the weather is bad up there but it hasn't bothered the Scots. Bristol can learn from Scotland too, Pat is on to something when he says the following but Scotland don't play test matches like headless chickens. They still play with the same level of clarity and ambition Bristol do but they are much better at picking their moments. They needed to go back to this mad game to get their cohesion back after a couple of seasons struggling but I hope they get a bit wiser from matches like Leinster and La Rochelle.


“If there’s clarity on what you’re trying to do as a team you can win anything.”

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