From Connacht to Wasps to Connacht, Ireland Johnny O’Connor flanker is back in Galway. He spoke exclusively to www.rucked.com…
How’s life in Ireland Johnny?
Not bad, I’m enjoying it – it’s nice to be home. Bit different from London of course.
Why did you decide to come back?
I’d just come back from a serious injury [O’Connor was out from April until December with a spinal injury] and I needed to get back on the horse and playing regular games. Reesy [Tom Rees] was in a rich vein of form and deserved to be first choice and, while I was playing some rugby, he was playing in the big, big games and if you want to play for your country you need to be playing in those. I could’ve maybe stuck around and tried to get him out again I guess but I just wanted to get back. I still had another year to go on my contract but Wasps were decent enough to let me go. I like all the lads and all the coaches at Wasps and I still talk to them – Joe Worsley and Eoin Reddan were over here not long ago. I suppose maybe I could’ve stayed one more year but I’m happy now…
Why Connacht?
I’d always planned to go back to Connacht and if I’d ended up staying the full five years I would have been 28 and you need to be playing regularly when you’re at that age, especially as a flanker. So I just ‘fuck it’ and Connacht spoke to the IRFU and made it very easy for me – I wanted to come home, I’d been longing for home. My agent was never offering me to other clubs, it was all very hush hush.
Had you stayed in touch with Connacht during your time at Wasps?
I talked to the players and Tim [Alnutt, the team manager] quite a lot. They would ring me up about other players – who was playing in the Premiership, if I knew any good centres and all that.
How serious was the injury?
I was playing in the Powergen Cup final and I only made it through 47 seconds – it was a joke. I was hit hard on the blindside and my head went into my chest, I fell back and couldn’t feel anything.
Bloody hell, scary…
It was very worrying, I was worried I might not walk again let alone play rugby, but within a few minutes I could move my feet. I think it was more like whiplash, shock, but at least I could walk away. It took me ages for the swelling to go down and then I had to build myself up completely.
How tough was it to get your strength back?
Fucking hell, I put so much time into coming back, there was so much to work on – I was just constantly coming in to work on everything: calves, Achilles, shoulder, basically building up the left-hand side of my body. I was only lifting 5kg weights at the start. For six months, I would go in, do my rehab and then get home bollocksed – I was pretty fucked. I probably should’ve relaxed but I’m not that sort of person. I put a lot of time into the injury and not a lot of time was left for anything else.
How did the comeback go?
There were mental issues when I got back, an injury likes that puts the fear in you and I’d never had it before, so it was in the back of my mind. Mentally I was always looking ahead to the World Cup and I think that was a problem because I should’ve been more calm and just concentrated on a game-by-game basis. You only get a run of form when you’re calm and not worried about things. Towards the end of the season I started playing well though and finished by playing in the Churchill Cup with Ireland.
Must have been hard not being involved in the Heineken Cup final?
I knew I wasn’t going to be involved because it was often the case with my position that if you didn’t get picked to start then you didn’t get picked in the 22 because sides often don’t carry a seven on the bench. But I watched the game and had a few beers with the lads afterwards, that’s just the way it goes…
What was it like playing for Wasps?
It was amazing to play at a club like that where everyone expects you to win every weekend. It’s an amazing place to be, a very special place – anyone you talk to who’s moved on from Wasps speaks fondly of it. When I first came from Ireland I was maybe a bit in awe of them, but they made me feel special. I’m from Galway so I never expected to play for a club like that and yet there was nobody there I ever didn’t get on with it.
You had some unlucky injuries there…
My first year was my most enjoyable year ever, but I missed out on the Premiership final because of a ripped Achilles. Then the following year I broke my arm just before just before the final and then I did the last injury just seconds into the final. I remember saying to the lads before the game started that I’d missed a lot of finals and that it would mean a lot to me if we could win – maybe I should’ve keep my mouth shut.
Do you miss Wasps?
I do miss London to be honest, when you’re not playing rugby there’s a lot to do in London, but Galway has everything I want to do – it’s by the sea, there’s surfing, and it’s more relaxed because it’s a very small city. I’ve got a lot of friends here and while I enjoyed London I’ve no complaints about moving, home is home at the end of the day.
So you’re glad to be back?
Obviously lots have changed – there’s a new coach, new players, a lot of guys I played with have left, but it’s all for the good. We’ve got more quality players and I think we’re beginning to gel. At the start of the season we played well but lost concentration in the last quarter, but we understand now that if something’s working there’s no need to change it or do something special and overplay.
And playing against Irish sides regularly…
I do enjoy the local derbies against Ulster, Munster and Leinster, you get to play your opposite number for Ireland and have a crack at them, trying to get one over on them.
Were you disappointed not to be in the World Cup squad?
I I would’ve been hopeful of getting but I couldn’t be delusional. You need to be playing in the big games – the semi-finals and finals – to get in the squad otherwise the coach won’t look at you and I wasn’t. I made it to the 45-man squad and that was a proud achievement when I look back at it. Sometimes you mope around when you’re not picked but that’s not a good thing, you’ve got to keep chipping away and not be too resentful. Things work out when you’re calm and patient – everything goes full circle…
Presumably Ireland is on your list of targets?
I definitely want to get into the squad in January. From there on I’ll just take a view and see how I go.
If the Magners League stays as it is, with Ulster bottom, you’ll only have to stay above them to qualify for the Heineken Cup – would finishing ninth be good enough?
True, true, but no not really we want to qualify for
No not really, we want to go up table. In this league there’s not much between fifth and bottom and we can get a run of results the way we’re playing. It was no fluke that we beat Newcastle, we deserved to win on the night.
Our problem has always been with consistency and the turnover of players but we’re more settled as team and as a 22. This year we want to be above mid-table and there’s a good few teams we can put away. We went ahead against Munster but then made silly errors.
What would the Heineken Cup mean for Connacht?
It would be massive for this club. It would be huge in terms of the budget, we’ve spent a lot on a new gym this year and hopefully some rich people in Galway will donate some money. If we get a budget increase then maybe we can attract better players, but you can’t complain about what you haven’t got, you play with what you’ve got.
If you did qualify, how about Wasps in the same pool?
I don’t know if we’d want them as they know me too well! But it wouldn’t bother me. I’ve got to just try and concentrate on qualifying first and not worry about playing Wasps just yet.
Reckon you’ll finish your career at Connacht?
Yeah, you never know what’s down the road. At the moment, I’ve got another year after this win and then maybe they’ll offer me a contract extension. I’ll keep going with I’ve got at the moment in the meantime.