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The Good, The Bad & The Rugby

James O’Connor: The Original Poster Boy

3/31/20261 hr 28 min

James O’Connor was the first of his kind - a teenage prodigy who transcended the back pages to become the face of Australian rugby. James O’Connor joins Alex, Hask and Tins to discuss the heavy crown of early fame, his global "rock star" journey which climaxed in a Parisian prison to his settled life at Leicester Tigers.

The boys dive into the week’s massive news: Henry Pollock’s alliance with Eddie Hearn's Matchroom. We ask: Is rugby finally ready to embrace a superstar, or will the "tall poppy" syndrome strike again?

Clips

Paris arrest rock bottom
Career on the brink
Ego, setbacks, and silence
Glitz outside, emptiness inside
How he rebuilt discipline
Would sign with Hearn
Discipline that stuck
Growth through adversity

Transcript preview

First 90 seconds

  1. James O'Connor· Guest0:00

    I couldn't communicate exactly what was going on. I wasn't like... I was still developing as a, like, a young man.

  2. James Haskell· Host0:05

    Would you have signed with Eddie Hearn? Would you have done that with- Yeah, probably.

  3. James O'Connor· Guest0:06

    For sure ...

  4. James Haskell· Host0:07

    WC, yeah. Well, you're actually the decent brand. [laughs] Brad has been like- [laughs] ... mine was like a skip fire, like [laughs] That moment for me was the rock bottom that I was like, "Okay, like, I really need to sort my [censored] out now."

  5. Mike Tindall· Host0:16

    Yeah.

  6. James O'Connor· Guest0:17

    I just wasn't happy with my life.

  7. James Haskell· Host0:18

    It's better to have tried, [censored] up, got up, learned, because that is such an exciting part of life.

  8. Mike Tindall· Host0:24

    Mm.

  9. James O'Connor· Guest0:24

    I've had a lot of sorrow from rugby, like, but now I'm like, I can look back on it and, like, it's actually helped my development.

  10. Alex Payne· Host0:30

    Alex Payne trying to keep the side going forward. Haskell takes it on now with just relentless chat. And there's Tindall to add the finishing touch of glamour and World Cup winning stories. A dominant display by the good, the bad, and the rugby. [upbeat music] Hello, dream team. Welcome along to this week's episode of the Good, the Bad & the Rugby. Proudly sponsored, as always, by our fantastic partners at Continental Tires.

  11. Mike Tindall· Host0:54

    Continental Tires are the official tire partner of England Rugby. Engineered for victory, their award-winning tires are built to perform, no matter the occasion. Our guest today is one of the most fascinating stories in rugby. A superstar at 17, one of the brightest talents in the world, then a career that's taken him across continents, through huge highs, some very public lows, and back again to the top. Now, nearly 20 years on, he is high in flight with Leicester Tigers. It is a very good friend of all things GBR and G Brands, Mr. James O'Connor. How are you?

  12. James O'Connor· Guest1:24

    Good, guys. Thanks for having me.

  13. Mike Tindall· Host1:26

    Very good.

  14. Alex Payne· Host1:26

    Welcome to the, to the parent club- Yeah ... as, as it were- Yeah ... with, with regards to G

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