Warringah Rats forward Rory O’Connor has Super incentive in finals
WARRINGAH prop Rory O’Connor has an extra incentive heading into Sunday’s qualifying final against Northern Suburbs at North Sydney Oval.
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WARRINGAH prop Rory O’Connor has an extra incentive heading into Sunday’s qualifying final against Northern Suburbs at North Sydney Oval with a golden opportunity to further push his case for a Super Rugby contract next season.
The rising 22-year-old forward has committed his rugby future to Australia after fears he could be lured over to Europe after a stint spent honing his skills with leading Irish club Munster.
“When I went to Ireland it was meant to be a three and a half week trial that turned into five months,” O’Connor said.
“The aim was always to come back here having used that as a tool for me development.
“I will stay here and give it a go.”
O’Connor is the prototype of what a modern day frontrower should be with passing and running skills as well as possessing a great turn of speed — as he demonstrated in the recent local derby against Manly when he sprinted 70m to score a try.
“I prefer the running more, but the problem is no matter how much you run they won’t care unless your scrums are good,” he said.
And O’Connor has been a key figure in turning Warringah’s scrum into a potent weapon this season.
“People never really rated the scrum, they never really rated the forward pack here, it was always the backs carrying the club,” O’Connor said.
“But I think the pack is doing well to be the cornerstone of the team.
O’Connor is on the NSW Waratahs radar and recently spent time with assistant coach Cam Blades going over video of his scrumming in three recent games.
“I’ll just chip away … it’s a matter of having a bit of patience and playing well,” he said.
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