After it was agreed by Sale Sharks that they would release James O’Connor from his contract to return to Australia things looked on the up, but it might not be as easy as it seemed.
On Tuesday O’Connor was released allowing him to return to Australia and sign for a club which would provide him the opportunity to at least be considered for the Wallabies Rugby World Cup squad.
It is reported that a move to the Reds is on the cards, however, according to The Sydney Morning Herald his contract is being held up by the franchise’s desire to include extra behavioural clauses due to his chequered past.
O’Connor was forced to leave Australia when his contract was ended several years ago, which is why he left for Europe.
Since then he has turned out for London Irish, Toulon and Sale Sharks, while also returning home for a brief stint with the Reds in 2015 in order to try and make the cut for the 2015 World Cup which failed.
However, after a troublesome time in Europe it appears as though O’Connor has turned things around at Sale and is in line for his first call-up to the national squad since 2013.
The 28-year-old would provide versatility to the back-line as he can play in any of the back five positions, which could work in his favour during a tournament where coaches can only bring 31 players.
All that appears to be stopping O’Connor from getting another chance with the Wallabies is his contractual situation, but if he has changed surely he is willing to sign the extra clauses in order to possibly add to his 44 Wallabies caps to date.
