“He was great over the ball against Stade Francais a couple of weeks ago, he’s an abrasive tackler and he’s not just happy sitting around the breakdown, he wants to be a good link man out in the backs as well.
“The game has changed. For 15 years no one was really allowed to contest the breakdown. They can now and we need guys that understand that element of the game better.
“The words that would unite the English back row at the moment is ‘hard-working’. You know what you get from those guys but there isn’t a fetcher or a link man.”
O’Connor – who impressed against Springbok Francois Louw recently and helped Leicester to a 17-6 win against Munster in the European Champions Cup at the weekend — offers a ready-made solution.
O’Connor, is the leading turnover exponent after two rounds so fits the genuine No.7 part. But he is not too sure about the England bit.
Auckland Blues’ player of the seasonThe Kiwi flanker, who was Auckland Blues’ player of the season last year, qualifies to wear the red rose thanks to a grandma who spent the first 10 years of her life in Hull before emigrating.
But ask O’Connor, who was part of New Zealand’s world champion under-20s side six years ago, how he would feel about an England call and he is hesitant.
“It would be a hard decision if that phone call did come,” he admitted.
“It would be tough to turn down the opportunity to play international rugby. It’s the pinnacle, every young footie player’s dream but I would sit down and think about it.
“There would always be people who think it’s the wrong thing to do; others would be OK with it. I’ll what was best decision for me. Whatever decision I made, I’d want to go with it with no regrets.”
O’Connor said the emphasis on power in European rugby was taking some getting used to.
“I did more scrums and live mauls in one training session here than in the rest of my life,” he said.
“I’m probably one of the smallest sevens around so I have to make up for it in other areas.
“Being brought up in New Zealand, there is a lot of emphasis on skills and maybe not so much on size. It’s a work-on for me trying to put on size.”
O’Connor’s father Rick said the family “would support Brendon whatever he decided to do”.
“He always wanted to play for the ABs but there was always Richie McCaw and then Sam Kane came along. Brendon doesn’t say much about being picked for England. For him and for us it’s all paper talk at this stage.
“In the modern era, rugby players are taking the opportunity to represent countries other than where they were born. If he was to be picked for England, like I said, we’d support him. But I’d definitely be wearing my Old Boys jersey.
The senior O’Connor played lock/flanker for Old Boys senior B teams coached by Tom Stevens, Dick Jones and Herbie Barbara.
