James O’Connor has given a blatant indication that he will be joining Premiership club Leicester Tigers following his stint at the Crusaders.
Leicester have been scouring the market for a fly-half with Springboks number ten Handre Pollard returning to South Africa, re-joining the Bulls.
After reportedly failing to lure Owen Farrell back to England and join the Tigers, Leicester turned their attention to O’Connor.
James O’Connor’s Premiership prediction
Reports in Australia and England have stated that the veteran playmaker is closing in on securing the Wallabies’ services as he joins Geoff Parling, who has been recruited to replace Michael Cheika as the head coach, at the Premiership club.
However, these reports look to have been completely missed by ex-All Blacks scrum-half Justin Marshall and The Good, The Bad & The Rugby Australia & New Zealand host Andy Rowe.
Rowe brought up the topic of the Premiership final between Leicester Tigers and Bath this weekend and asked O’Connor who he is backing.
“Shoo-in for Leicester, I reckon. Good club, good group,” he replied.
“I’m backing Leicester.”
His emphatic response was clearly tongue-in-cheek considering the reports and suggests that he may have penned a deal with the club.
But Marshall missed the reference as he joked: “Shoo-in? They are going to wipe the floor with them. Got to be careful with that.”
Still unaware, the former All Black asked: “Why do you say Leicester? Is it because Michael Cheika is there, a bit of an Australian feel to the final, you guys will dig in anything there to get an Aussie in.”
Bath v Leicester Tigers: 10 key stats ahead of the Premiership Final
Playing for Cheika
That did, however, lead O’Connor to reveal the impact the outgoing Leicester boss had on him playing for the Wallabies at the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
“Cheiks my man, when I was at the Sale Sharks during that 2018/19 season and I wanted to come back and be part of the Wallabies’ Rugby World Cup and he was the one that sort of masterminded that,” the Crusaders fly-half said.
“He did everything he could to help me. I put the work in but he did everything he said he would do, he did and we built a good bond.
“I just loved playing for him. He knows how to galvanise a group, he’s got an intelligent rugby mind but also got a presence to him.”
While O’Connor looks Leicester-bound, he still has at least one more Crusaders match to go – if not two – with Super Rugby’s most successful club taking on the Blues in the first semi-final in Christchurch.
The 34-year-old is also in the frame for a potential recall to the Wallabies squad for the British and Irish Lions Series while is also eligible for selection for the Australia-New Zealand Invitational team.
READ MORE: Joe Schmidt won’t ‘preclude anyone’ from Wallabies selection as he confirms James O’Connor ‘chat’
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/james-oconnors-tongue-in-cheek-comment-baffles-all-blacks-legend-and-all-but-confirms-leicester-tigers-move
