When I think of genuine superstars of Australian rugby, I think James O’Connor. He is the youngest ever player to play Super Rugby at just 17years old. He burst on to the rugby scene with his boy band looks and his incredible talent. At 18 he was playing international rugby for Australia and with that came high expectations of him as a role model, a role he wasn’t ready for.

I loved this episode so much because you can hear in raw honesty what these young professional athletes go through when bursting onto the scene. James has had some incredible highs through his rugby but also some incredibly dark times, none darker than spending a couple of nights in prison in France.

The cool part of this chat is hearing where James is at now, he’s loving his rugby more than ever, he’s has a really balanced life and is now content with the little things in his life. 

This is one of the most inspiring episode of What a Lad and as you’ll hear James is an absolute lad who has so much knowledge which he shares in this!