National coach Joe Schmidt says the door is still open for James O\u2019Connor to again play for the Wallabies despite the veteran flyhalf being axed following Australia\u2019s 46-19 loss to Ireland.<\/p>\n
Having not been selected in Australia\u2019s initial spring tour squad, O\u2019Connor, 35, joined the Wallabies contingent last week and started in the No.10 jersey against the Irish.<\/p>\n
However, he has since been sent back to his English club Leicester, with Carter Gordon named at flyhalf for the Wallabies\u2019 clash with France in Paris on Sunday morning (AEDT).<\/p>\n
\u201cIt would have been great to keep James with us, but with Carter and Tane (Edmed) and Hamish (Stewart) there to cover, it was an extra player that would have been a luxury,\u201d Schmidt said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s back (at Leicester) with the intent to keep building his game. He certainly has always displayed a real passion to play for the Wallabies, and that hasn\u2019t gone away.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was involved in some big performances for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Schmidt said O\u2019Connor\u2019s age would not be a factor in whether he would be recalled to future Wallabies squads.<\/p>\n
\u201cAge is probably not one of the numbers that necessarily tips the balance,\u201d the Wallabies coach said.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven within a squad, when James first came (back) in (earlier this year), it was really just to support the younger 10s and to help them grow their own game.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was really useful in that regard, and then he stepped up and showed then how it was done as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Edmed will be Gordon\u2019s back-up on Sunday on a Wallabies bench that will also include uncapped Queensland halfback Kalani Thomas.<\/p>\n
\u201cKalani has trained for five weeks with us. He\u2019s trained incredibly well, he\u2019s got a sharpness about him, and he deserves an opportunity to demonstrate that,\u201d Schmidt said.<\/p>\n
Schmidt said he had found the tour \u201cfrustrating\u201d, believing his players had not been rewarded for their improvement.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you over-chase something, you always make yourself a little bit more vulnerable, and that\u2019s part of the learning,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s frustrating to go through a learning period, and not have the apparent reward that a result gives you. <\/p>\n
\u201cI know how hard the players are working and what it means to them, and they are frustrated that they feel like they\u2019ve let supporters down.\u201d<\/p>\n
A loss to France will result in the Wallabies failing to secure a win on a four-Test tour of Europe for the first time since 1958.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt would be one of the toughest last couple of weeks that I\u2019ve had, but I do feel that having the experiences that I\u2019ve had over the 20-odd years of being a professional rugby coach, it does allow me to have some context and to give (the players) some context that there\u2019s not always immediate reward for effort, and there\u2019s not always immediate reward for improvement,\u201d Schmidt said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe challenge is to be able to stick with that. They\u2019re determined to do that because they\u2019re incredibly proud of representing their country, and they\u2019re incredibly committed to earning the support.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wallabies: Angus Bell, Billy Pollard, Taniela Tupou, Jeremy Williams, Nick Frost, Tom Hooper, Fraser McReight, Harry Wilson (c), Jake Gordon, Carter Gordon, Dylan Pietsch, Len Ikitau, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Harry Potter, Max Jorgensen. Bench: Matt Faessler, Aidan Ross, Allan Alaalatoa, Rob Valetini, Carlo Tizzano, Kalani Thomas, Tane Edmed, Filipo Daugunu.<\/p>\n