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.
Ideal game to throw Osbourne in. No point moaning about lack of depth if we aren’t willing to try someone new.
@Phil O’ Meara: yes…. Give a 22-year-old his test debut away against the Boks at fullback, despite having played just 7 professional games at fullback for his province. Huge risk. Hope it pays off.
@Brenda Collins: We stand to learn more than him coming on as a sub in the last 10 minutes against Canada at home in the Aviva.
@Phil O’ Meara: not sure that AF is the type of manager to “throw” a player in. I’m guessing that he has shown up better in training. In my humble opinion they have accepted that CF is too slow for FB, and that JO’B lacks the physicality for this assignment.
@Phil O’ Meara: Would agree, if not now then when! Strange about OBrien, must have done something to piss AF off. Maybe he’s another Coombs.
@Phil O’ Meara: I’m not for one second suggesting we give him 10 minutes against Canada. I’m saying giving him his test debut by starting him in a position where he hasn’t played much rugby at the top level while also in the backyard of the current world champions is a big, big ask. I wouldn’t have perceived it as particularly risky if they started him in the centre where he’s played most of his rugby for Leinster. But at fullback against a team we know will target him by kicking the leather off the ball…. Well. That’s more than throwing him in at the deep end. It’s no slight on him. He’s obviously talented and I truly hope he does well. It could just end up being a very tough debut.
@Brenda Collins: firstly we have a gap at full back because of hugo’s dream, we have 4 top class centres so I’m not sure how we could drop Aki or henshaw to start him.
@Brenda Collins: talk to France. How many caps and tries did their little winger have before that quarter final … At the end of the day it’s a summer international, test him and see what’s there, failing might delay him but it won’t stop him.
@chris mcdonnell: I think it’s silly to have the view that a player’s development should always hinge on the question of “who would you drop?”
That’s not how we should develop inexperienced players. We give them opportunities. I’m just surprised the opportunity on this occasion is not in his natural position, and also surprised they’ve not gone with JOB at fullback, who’s a lot more experienced there (and maybe a bit faster?).
@Ciaran Kennedy: hmm tell that to some of the other players who played and faltered and then were out in the cold afterwards….
If we stay with the tried and tested, people moan that we are not expanding the squad. He gives youth a chance in a game at a venue that only one international team ever won at, and now it’s deemed an unnecessary risk.
It doesn’t really matter if we lose these matches. They are just friendlies really with nothing at stake except bragging rights. It is much more important that we build depth in key positions and I think this is a good call for the future.
@Neil “Montyman65” Montgomery: it still effects rankings. At the same time, you still need to experiment and find depth.
@Dave Kelly: Shouldn’t really affect the rankings much unless we get absolutely hammered in both tests. I know the Saffas are going crazy about these games but they don’t have real world implications for either team.
His kicking is very good. He rarely makes mistakes. Don’t see it as a big risk
@Tom Murphy: fielding high ball? Positional? Tackling?
There couldn’t be a harder place or team to face in your debut game at FB. This is a huge call from Farrell and makes little sense
Cometh he hour cometh the man! Farrell must have huge faith in Osborne’s ability and temperament to pitch him into a game that will be white hot in its intensity from start to finish.