The Reds were already rank underdogs before the confirmation O'Connor would miss the game against the Super Rugby powerhouse.
David Pocock says James O'Connor's greatest rugby achievement is this year's comeback and the honesty that he has shown throughout the process.
The first Asian Rugby World Cup is rating high on the quirkometer but the game's great entertainer,Eddie Jones,remains as entertaining as ever.
James O'Connor on ego,second chances,and risking it all for another go in the gold jersey.
World Cup-winning Wallaby Daniel Herbert has urged coach Michael Cheika to stick with the side that stunned the All Blacks in Perth for the return clash in Auckland on Saturday.
New Zealand and England have been using this mid-field model for some time,but Australia will test it out for the first time on Saturday night.
Teenage sensation Jordan Petaia and the returned James O'Connor have both been named in the Wallabies'final Rugby Championship squad.
It was baby steps in James O'Connor's Brisbane Test return but the man himself was quick to point out he's not a boy anymore following six years in the Wallabies wilderness.
James O'Connor's career will come full circle at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night.
O'Connor is poised to cap a fairytale return for the Wallabies,having been almost universally maligned when he played his last Test in 2013.
Rugby Australia has gambled on James O'Connor and director of rugby Scott Johnson is confident it will be one of the great redemption stories.