That chance return to England by joining the competition’s most successful club was a coincidental one.
After three years without an international cap, his form with New Zealand Super Rugby side Crusaders had him back in the Australia squad for the British and Irish Lions’ summer tour.
And it was during talks about a Wallabies recall with national team boss Joe Schmidt that his assistant Geoff Parling was named as head coach of Leicester – a club where he won two Premiership titles as a player.
“I had some frank and open conversations with Geoff about where I was going in my life and what I wanted, and where he was planning on taking the team and what he was looking for,” O’Connor said.
“It’s a good group of lads here going in the right direction. There’s a lot of young energy, so apparently they can use a bit of an old head to be around.
“I had a lot of people who helped me along in my journey, and one thing I want to do is help the young guys not make the same mistakes I did, both on and off the field.”
It is O’Connor in his latest iteration as an elder rugby statesman that Leicester have signed.
He went from being a former international to starting fly-half for Australia in the Rugby Championship.
He featured in all six rounds, started in three Tests, and even put his new start with Tigers on hold to get back home to face New Zealand twice in the past two weeks.
He had initially landed in England in mid-September to set up his new house with his wife and pet dog.
“It’s been a whirlwind,” he said.
Finally, he is preparing for his Leicester debut.
And it is one that he admits comes with an unavoidable feeling of “hate” as Tigers take on bitter East Midlands rivals Northampton Saints at Franklin’s Gardens.
“For me to continue to play, I need to be excited, I need to be challenged. I want the fire, I want the smoke – so it’s great first opposition,” he said.
