Two years ago Jamie Osborne was watching Ireland earn a bonus-point win over France in the Six Nations championship from the comfort of his home. It was a February game and only round two, but Ireland were trucking their way towards a Grand Slam title.
This week Osborne’s view will be more intimate if he is picked to be part of Simon Easterby’s starting XV or match day squad as they again facing France with even bigger hopes. Three championships in a row makes history but the visit of the French with their mix of muscle and dash also makes for a piquant Grand Slam tang.
In the squad rather than on the couch, the 23-year-old has become central to Irish thinking and modern bench arrangements. Osborne is multipurpose, a centre, fullback or winger, he is what Ireland wants him to be.
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“It definitely helps that I’ve played a couple of positions before,” he says. “I’ve played most of my professional career in the centre, then fullback and a little bit on the wing, so I’d be confident in whatever place I end up going. There’s a couple of us on the team that cover a couple of positions so we get reps at each of the positions as much as we could.”
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Multipurpose Jamie Osborne has become central to Irish thinking
Ciarán Frawley and Jack Crowley would fall into a similar category to Osborne, having the ability to play in other backline positions, as well at outhalf. With the current team firmly set with starting figures across the backline, the openings are few, so the players coming in must be fluid as to where they play, with Crowley finding himself at fullback in this campaign.
In the absence of Hugo Keenan last summer Osborne started at fullback against South Africa. He did so again against Wales in Cardiff in his first outing in this year’s championship.
He showed a strong mind after his pass to Garry Ringrose, with the line at his mercy, went to ground. Osborne sealed it off, an error quickly forgotten and after a visible outburst of frustration, he went on to play a fine Test match as Ireland turned it around in the second half.
“I knew it should have been a try, so I was definitely frustrated at the time,” he says of the misplaced pass. “I didn’t want to let that cloud my judgment or anything for the rest of the game. There was a lot of rugby to be played after that.
“And I wanted to come off the pitch being relatively happy with the performance, so I think it’s best to drop the mistakes as soon as they happen. I was frustrated at the time, but I tried my best to forget about it.
“The first half was not how we wanted it to go. A lot of errors including myself. But I thought the way we bounced back in the second half – we were five points down with a man in the bin and we managed to find a way to get back into the game. Probably not in the way that we were expecting to go out to play before the game. We went to a bit more of a kicking game and put pressure back on them and I think we learned a lot about ourselves in that second half.”
Osborne is not the only player learning about Test level competition with Sam Prendergast, Jack Boyle, Gus McCarthy, Tom Clarkson and Calvin Nash all building their experience credits wherever they can get them. While France is this week’s acute challenge, the 2027 World Cup in Australia is never far from Easterby and Andy Farrell’s broader thinking. Ireland three first-pick centres, Garry Ringrose, Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw are all in their 30s, with Aki now 34.
So France on Saturday represents opportunity if Osborne is involved in the reconfigured team due to concerns over Mack Hansen’s fitness and an absent Ringrose, who is serving out his suspension.
“I remember watching the game two years ago in the Aviva. That was probably one of the best games I’ve ever watched. It was end to end,” says Osborne. “I think the ball in play time was ridiculously high as well. I think you knew watching that those two teams at the time were probably the two best teams in the world. They’re the games you want to play in, and hopefully it will be more of the same this week.
“I think they’re all brilliant [French] players. [Thomas] Ramos, he’s a brilliant footballer. He plays a lot at 10 as well as 15. Has a big boot and he’s not afraid to try stuff and a lot of the time it comes off. [Louis] Bielle-Biarrey, he’s lighting quick. And [Damian] Penaud, he just has a knack for beating defenders. He scores a lot of tries. Definitely look up to all of them.”
Looking up but not star struck. Osborne has already passed that point.
