The form has seen O’Connor’s name being mentioned as a potential member of the Wallabies’ squad, with ex-Wallaby Morgan Turinui saying last week he was being considered by senior figures in the Australia set-up, and former teammate Drew Mitchell also calling for him to be considered. O’Connor said at the start of the year he was keen to play against the Lions again (he was no.10 for the Wallabies in the 2013 series). Another factor that could help O’Connor’s case is that RA is prepared to qualify him as a local player if selected, and not as one of the three overseas-based players available to Schmidt. “We’ve got a pretty open mind around that and obviously experiencing the speed and the combativeness of Super Rugby is helpful when you’re playing in and around this environment,” RA chief executive Phil Waugh said recently. “It’s very similar, if not the same, as being in the Australian market.”