Legendary Wallabies playmaker James O\u2019Connor has revealed that he intends to go into coaching when he finally hangs up his boots.<\/p>\n
The 35-year-old appeared on\u00a0The Good, The Bad & The Rugby podcast this week to discuss his life back in England, as well as his future Wallabies prospects.<\/p>\n
Now with Leicester Tigers, being coached by ex-England lock Geoff Parling<\/a>, O\u2019Connor is nearing the end of his illustrious career.<\/p>\n Speaking on the podcast, he discussed how his life has changed in recent years from the initial \u2018party boy\u2019 persona that had dominated the early part of his career, to nowadays, when he\u2019s living a happy, \u201cbalanced\u201d life with his wife and dog \u2013 a far cry from the bright lights of his early years.<\/p>\n With a clearer, more level-headed mindset, O\u2019Connor<\/a> wants to use his experiences to pass along to the next generation.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got an interest in coaching after all this, so I\u2019m collecting knowledge and life experiences,\u201d he told the panel.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to know where I fit into the group. What does the group require from me? What do they need from me to help make the group better, or help the team win on the weekend?<\/p>\n \u201cSo whether that\u2019s finishing a game, whether that\u2019s adding little elements there in the halves, or whether that\u2019s even phase shape or attack shapes. However I can help is important for me, because it gives me that driving force to keep moving, to keep going, and keep wanting to achieve.\u201d<\/p>\n Investec Champions Cup round of 16: Predictions, teams, kick-off times, how to watch and referee appointments<\/a><\/p>\n \u2018I love the attack element of the game\u2019<\/p>\n While the role of head coach is often the \u2018go-to\u2019 dream for many prospective coaches, O\u2019Connor sees himself in a different light.<\/p>\n Clarifying that he\u2019d rather lead the attack, he said: \u201cI love the attack element of the game, like shapes, reading game plans, coming up with the moves, which I\u2019ve been doing for at least five years, probably longer than that. <\/p>\n \u201cWhen I moved to the Reds<\/a>, it\u2019s when it started, drawing up shapes with the coaches.\u201d<\/p>\n Admitting that he never wanted to be a coach when he was younger, the experienced Wallaby<\/a> explained his change in mindset.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m turning 36, like, this is my 19th year of rugby. I\u2019ve been playing since I was 17. Rugby is the part of my life that I probably know the most.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is an element of me wanting to do that because it\u2019s familiar. I feel like I do have a good skill set, in that I\u2019ve seen the game evolve four or five times. So I understand it from the wing to full-back to centre to ten, not so much in the forward pack, but I know how my forwards like to be moved around the field, and how to get the best out of them.\u201d<\/p>\n When it comes to coaching, O\u2019Connor has one key philosophy: \u201cI want my guys to understand the why of everything that we\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018He was speaking some wisdom there\u2019<\/p>\n O\u2019Connor wasn\u2019t the easiest person to coach in his younger years, openly admitting to having a \u201cvictim mentality\u201d, but it was during those years that he found guidance from Harlequins-bound Robbie Deans.<\/p>\n