Australia's O'Connor on latest of 'five rugby lives' at Tigers

James O'Connor is nan maestro of rugby national reinvention.

By nan 35-year-old's ain count, Leicester Tigers are getting type number "five aliases six" of nan one-time Australian boy wonder, who went rogue earlier rebuilding his profession to find rugby redemption.

"I ne'er thought I'd travel backmost to nan UK to play rugby," O'Connor admitted while speaking to BBC Radio Leicester.

"When I thought astir nan options I had connected nan array and wherever my footy was going, this is nan 1 that excited maine nan astir - to travel backmost present and springiness my champion to English rugby, which I felt for illustration hadn't been done."

O'Connor, who was seen arsenic a "once-in-a-generation talent" erstwhile he collapsed done to make his debut for Australia astatine nan property of 18, has had 2 erstwhile spells successful England's top-flight competition.

The first was with London Irish successful 2013 - a constituent successful his profession wherever he was efficaciously exiled to play successful Europe aft a drawstring of off-field incidents had prompted nan Australian Rugby Union to terminate his contract.

He past bounced betwixt nan Queensland Reds and French nine Toulon earlier different stint successful nan Prem pinch Sale Sharks.

And aft that he returned location to Australia (again) to effort to reclaim his Wallabies spot - thing he did aft 5 years successful nan world wilderness.

"I've had astir 5 different lives successful rugby," O'Connor said.

"I've been written disconnected galore times, and I've had to reinvent myself galore times.

"London Irish was astir apt nan commencement of my second. I was rather young, and perchance rugby wasn't nan first point connected my mind, and erstwhile I was astatine Sale, I was successful a benignant of rebuild period, rebuilding my body.

"I only really played astir apt 15 to 20 games successful those 2 seasons because I've had rather a fewer injuries, truthful I ne'er really sewage to springiness my best.

"So that was portion of it, conscionable to travel backmost and laic it each retired connected nan table."

That chance return to England by joining nan competition's astir successful nine was a coincidental one.

After 3 years without an world cap, his shape pinch New Zealand Super Rugby broadside Crusaders had him backmost successful nan Australia squad for nan British and Irish Lions' summertime tour.

And it was during talks astir a Wallabies callback pinch nationalist squad leader Joe Schmidt that his adjunct Geoff Parling was named arsenic caput coach of Leicester - a nine wherever he won 2 Premiership titles arsenic a player.

"I had immoderate frank and unfastened conversations pinch Geoff astir wherever I was going successful my life and what I wanted, and wherever he was readying connected taking nan squad and what he was looking for," O'Connor said.

"It's a bully group of lads present going successful nan correct direction. There's a batch of young energy, truthful apparently they tin usage a spot of an aged caput to beryllium around.

"I had a batch of group who helped maine on successful my journey, and 1 point I want to do is thief nan young guys not make nan aforesaid mistakes I did, some connected and disconnected nan field."

It is O'Connor successful his latest loop arsenic an elder rugby statesman that Leicester person signed.

He went from being a former international to starting fly-half for Australia successful nan Rugby Championship.

He featured successful each six rounds, started successful 3 Tests, and moreover put his caller commencement pinch Tigers connected clasp to get backmost location to look New Zealand doubly successful nan past 2 weeks.

He had initially landed successful England successful mid-September to group up his caller location pinch his woman and pet dog.

"It's been a whirlwind," he said.

Finally, he is preparing for his Leicester debut.

And it is 1 that he admits comes pinch an unavoidable emotion of "hate" arsenic Tigers return connected bitter East Midlands rivals Northampton Saints astatine Franklin's Gardens.

"For maine to proceed to play, I request to beryllium excited, I request to beryllium challenged. I want nan fire, I want nan fume - truthful it's awesome first opposition," he said.