Rugby-O'Connor cites burnout in decision to quit Reds captaincy

By Ian Ransom

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Australia flyhalf James O'Connor suffered burnout leading the Queensland Reds last year and is eager to focus purely on playing during 2022's inaugural Super Rugby Pacific competition, he said on Wednesday.

O'Connor was handed the Reds captaincy last February after regular skipper Liam Wright suffered a serious injury.

He earned rave reviews for leading the side to the Super Rugby AU championship in 2021, the Reds' first title in 10 years.

In a surprise, the Reds last week named Wright and scrumhalf Tate McDermott as co-captains for the coming season.

O'Connor said the extra responsibilities of the captaincy had weighed him down last year and he decided to relinquish the role after conversations with the club.

"We picked apart strengths and where I thought I could improve and get the best out of my performances and it fell back to probably taking on too much," said O'Connor, who was named Australia's Super Rugby Player of the Year on Wednesday.

"I just wanted to strip it back this year to focus on the gameplay and running the game, playing the best I could because I felt I probably burnt out after Super Rugby AU," he added.

O'Connor struggled with injuries at the end of the Super Rugby season and was restricted to four tests, with Quade Cooper slotting in as Wallabies flyhalf.

The Wallabies will play tests against England in July but O'Connor said he was focused on the Reds' preparations for Super Rugby Pacific, which starts Feb. 18.

Although the Reds won the Super Rugby AU title, they were humbled by New Zealand's teams in the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman competition, winning only one out of five games.

O'Connor said he felt the Reds were in a better place to challenge in Super Rugby