Western Force rule out James O'Connor bid

Mar 1, 2017 - 4:35 AM Western Force coach Dave Wessels has ruled out luring James O'Connor to the Super Rugby club this season, but he hopes the former Wallaby won't be lost to rugby altogether.

O'Connor's future at French club Toulon hangs in the balance after he was arrested for allegedly possessing cocaine.

The 26-year-old has been suspended by Toulon and his future will be decided next week.

Toulon owner Mourad Boudjellal has already declared O'Connor won't be re-signed and he may not even see out the season.

O'Connor started his professional rugby career at the Force, spending four years at the franchise before moving to the Rebels and then the Reds.

Wessels rates O'Connor as an unbelievable rugby talent but said he was happy with his current squad and wouldn't explore the opportunity of landing the speedy back.

However, Wessels hopes O'Connor will be able to land a gig somewhere else.

"It would be really sad if a guy of his potential at his age gets lost to rugby," Wessels said.

"I think he needs someone to put their arm around him a bit and help him out."

The Force will be aiming to bounce back from last week's 19-13 loss to the Waratahs when they host Queensland on Thursday night.

The match has to be played on a Thursday night because of a scheduled Justin Bieber concert at nib Stadium next Monday, meaning the Force have just five days between games.

Wessels has never been a huge Bieber fan, and he joked that he had even more reason to dislike the singer now.

But he said the short turnaround has at least given the Force an early chance to make amends for last week's loss, when they went scoreless in the second half.

The battle between outside centres Samu Kerevi (Reds) and Curtis Rona (Force) is set to play a crucial role in the outcome.

Rona performed admirably against Waratahs star Israel Folau last week, and Wessels is confident the former NRL winger will be able to handle the pressure yet again.

"He was on the back page (of the newspaper in Sydney) with his match-up with Folau, and he comes down to breakfast relaxed and smiling," Wessels said.

"That shows experience. That's a guy who wasn't rattled by the attention at all."

The Force's future beyond this season is still up in the air, and Wessels is urging fans to come out in huge numbers on Thursday night in a bid to convince SANZAAR and the ARU that WA deserves to keep a team in WA.

"If you want to keep Super Rugby in Western Australia - whether you support the Force or not - you should come on Thursday night and you should bring a friend," Wessels said.

"Because that's what's really going to matter at the end of the day - the decision makers seeing the appetite for Super Rugby in this State."

Source: AAP