James O'Connor signs with Western Force 17 years after making his Super Rugby debut there

James O’Connor will rejoin the Western Force for the 2027 Super Rugby season, completing a full-circle return to the Perth club where he made his professional debut as a 17-year-old in 2008. The 69-Test Wallaby, now 36, confirmed the signing on Wednesday after RugbyPass reported he was close to a deal on 25 July.

O’Connor made 39 appearances across four seasons in his first stint with the Force and still sits second on the club’s all-time points-scoring list — a remarkable statistic given he spent the intervening 15 years playing in Australia and abroad. His 127-game Super Rugby career includes two title-winning campaigns: captaining the Queensland Reds to the 2021 Super Rugby AU crown and contributing to the Crusaders’ Super Rugby Pacific triumph last year, before a spell with Leicester Tigers in England.

“I’m excited to come over and hit the ground running. I feel like my body is primed and my mind is ready,” O’Connor said. “There’s a lot of good footy still left in me. I want to make the most of possibly my last year.”

The versatile back, who can cover fly-half and several other backline positions, returned to the Test arena during last year’s Rugby Championship under then-Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt. O’Connor started at fly-half in both Tests away to the Springboks — including a stunning comeback win at Emirates Airline Park — and also featured against Argentina and New Zealand.

Beyond his playing role, O’Connor will serve as an ambassador for rugby in Western Australia ahead of the Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027, which Australia is co-hosting. He indicated he is already moving into a coaching and mentoring capacity, having worked in that space over the past three to four years.

“I’ve played all over the world for two decades. I’ve seen a lot of different programs and a lot of different structures,” O’Connor said. “I feel like my strength is creating cohesion and refining systems to work better.”

Force coach Simon Cron confirmed the move had been in the works for some time. “James and I have spoken for the last three years about a return to the Western Force, but for various reasons the timing never quite aligned, despite a strong mutual desire to make it happen,” Cron said.