The Western Force coach John Mitchell has flagged the possibility of playing star back James O'Connor at five-eighth this Super 14 rugby campaign after former Springbok Andre Pretorius suffered a season-ending hamstring injury.
Pretorius' one-year stint as the Force's international marquee signing was cruelly ended before it even really began when the 31-year-old ripped his hamstring off the bone at training on Wednesday.
While Mitchell is yet to decide who will replace Pretorius in the No.10 jersey, the coach threw up plenty of options, with O'Connor among the names put forward.
O'Connor started his career at inside centre for the Force but in more recent times has blossomed at fullback in the Wallabies' set-up.
While it was always thought O'Connor would eventually take over as the Force's No.1 five-eighth, the 19-year-old may be forced to take on the responsibility sooner than expected following Pretorius' misfortune and Matt Giteau's departure.
