JAMIE OSBORNE HASN’T played much professional rugby at fullback. Of his 39 starts for Leinster, only two have been in the number 15 shirt. His most recent start there was in November 2022.
So while 22-year-old Osborne has built good experience with his province, the majority of that time has been spent in midfield. He has made two starts on the left wing for Leinster, but the bulk of his game time has come in the centre slots.
The lack of time at fullback recently makes the challenge of stepping up for Ireland this weekend against the Springboks in what will be a chaotic, deafening Loftus Versfeld all the greater.
Osborne will be jumping into the deep end for his Ireland debut.
His first cap almost certainly would have come before now but for injury. He picked up a niggle at the start of the 2023 World Cup pre-season and missed this year’s Six Nations, so Andy Farrell wasn’t able to cap him in either campaign.
Farrell has been a fan for some years now, bringing Osborne into Ireland camp as a development player in 2021, the same year he shone for the Ireland U20s as a fullback and made his senior Leinster debut as a 19-year-old
Osborne played lots of his underage rugby at fullback with Naas, also representing the Leinster and Ireland Clubs U18 sides in that position. Several of those who worked with him in the youths pipeline felt he would make the professional grade as a fullback.
Whatever about his best position, there has never been any doubt about Osborne’s top-level potential. He’s a big man at 6f 4ins and close to 100kg, giving him power in contact, but he’s also quick and agile. His handling skills are deft, he offloads intelligently, and his powerful left-footed kicking game is a weapon. Defensively, he offers aggression and reads the game well. His time as a fullback with the U20s demonstrated that he is confident in the air.
So his skillset ticks lots of boxes and he is regarded as a player with a strong mentality, capable of remaining calm under pressure. Osborne did make some mistakes in the recent Champions Cup final against Toulouse but he was outstanding in other knock-out games.
His first few seasons with Leinster seemed to suggest that his future lay in midfield, with Hugo Keenan such a key man at fullback and Jimmy O’Brien offering another strong option in that area. This season, injury to Garry Ringrose meant Osborne teamed up strongly with Robbie Henshaw in midfield for the closing stages of the season.
When Osborne played for Ireland A back in November 2022 against the All Blacks XV, it was at outside centre.
It’s unclear exacly when Farrell started hatching the plan to use Osborne at fullback against the Springboks, but Keenan’s departure to chase an Olympic medal with the Ireland 7s obviously opened the door.
O’Brien was the clear favourite to be at fullback for Ireland, having started there three times under Farrell in the last two seasons, as well as finishing Leinster’s season as their starting fullback.
Perhaps Farrell wasn’t convinced by O’Brien’s form for Leinster but there’s a good chance that this is more about Osborne’s talent and wanting to see what he can do on the big stage.
With Bundee Aki, Robbie Henshaw, Garry Ringrose, and Stuart McCloskey all fit, it would have been hard for Osborne to break into the team in midfield but the absence of Keenan clearly got Farrell’s mind working.
It’s obvious that this decision comes with risk. Osborne’s total lack of time in the saddle at fullback is not ideal given that it can be a position where even a moment of hesitation or indecision can be very costly.
Fullbacks need to be positionally astute to prevent the opposition from finding grass with their kicks, they need to deny 50:22 chances, they have to win crucial aerial battles, and they must focus relentlessly in every second of the game.
Their cover tackling and scrambling defence can be the difference between winning and losing, while Ireland demand that their fullback plays a prominent decision-making and distribution role in their attack.
Osborne will also presumably be a key player in Ireland’s own kicking game, this selection giving Farrell two long-range left-footers to work with in Osborne and James Lowe.
The Springboks clearly weren’t expecting this call and it will be intriguing to see how they look to test Osborne on his debut.
Those who have worked with Osborne share Farrell’s belief in him. They’ve always thought it would be sooner rather than later that the Naas man was thrust onto this stage. Farrell will be hoping his sense that Osborne is able for the pressure is right.
It’s a bold call but Farrell will find out plenty about Osborne in this setting, as with scrum-half Craig Casey.
The 25-year-old Munster man has made four starts for Ireland but nothing like this. Three of those four starts have been against Italy, with the other one coming against the USA. There have been replacement appearances against France and Australia too, but this is an obvious step up.
Casey has been waiting for a chance like this and Farrell is backing him and Osborne to do the business against the Boks.
