'At times you're thinking maybe I should be a bit more specialised in a certain position'
The 23-year-old is one of the most versatile players in the Ireland camp. Across 17 appearances for Leinster in the season just gone, Osborne started games at fullback, on both wings and in both centre positions.
Five of his seven Ireland caps have come in the starting team, with Osborne wearing the 15 shirt four times and starting on the right wing in the Six Nations against France. Against Georgia tomorrow, Osborne moves to outside centre, forming a new-look centre partnership with Ulster's Stuart McCloskey – the most senior member of Paul O'Connell's 33-man touring squad.
With McCloskey offering experience and power at inside centre, Osborne will hope to get his hands on the ball and showcase his pace and footballing skills at 13, but he knows his role without the ball will be just as important against a powerful Georgian team.
'As a 13, you're probably a bit of a defensive leader in the team,' Osborne says.
Advertisement
Jamie Osborne. Leah Scholes / INPHO Leah Scholes / INPHO / INPHO
'You look at Garry [Ringrose], what he does for whatever team he's involved with these days, he's really combative and he leads the line.
'It's probably different from, say, being a fullback. You're close to the ball as well. There's that little bit around where you're scanning, you're talking to the 10 and stuff like that. So there are differences, but I'm enjoying each position. I'm ready.'
Despite his rising stock Osborne faced a challenging year at Leinster, with the arrival of Jordie Barrett increasing the already strong competition for a place in the centre positions. In the 2023/24 season 15 of Osborne's 16 starts for the province came at centre (nine at inside centre, six at outside centre). In 2024/25, he started four games at 12, two at 13, six at fullback and three on the wing.
Unsurprisingly, the Kildare native is reluctant to pick any one position as his 'favourite' – a question he's faced countless times across the season – but admits that versatility can work both for and against him, using Lions' back Elliot Daly as an example.
'Yeah, I think it's definitely a strength and it probably, sometimes it can seem a bit like a bit of a weakness at times if you're say, not selected and you're thinking 'maybe I should be a bit more specialised in a certain position', but when you look at him (Daly) and you look at his performance last weekend, how reliable he was and how classy of an operator he is really… So I think it's definitely a strength. I suppose over time we'll see and hopefully can figure it out how to best utilise it.'
That versatility helped him secure a place in Leinster and Ireland teams for key games across the campaign – featuring three times in the November internationals, once in the Six Nations, once in the Champions Cup knockouts and twice in the URC playoffs, before dropping to the bench for the URC final win over the Bulls in Croke Park.
'It was obviously challenging (to play in so many big games) but I really enjoyed it, really enjoyed the challenge.
Osborne played 17 games for Leinster last season, starting 15. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
'The more big games you play, the more you want to play in the big games, if you know what I mean. Once you get a first taste of a really big game, you do anything you can to get back in there and you learn a lot from the preparation in the week and you learn a lot from those games so I really enjoyed them.
'It probably builds you as a player as you're going along and getting those experiences. I think you definitely get a bit more confidence in your abilities once you're able to perform in those games.'
With so many centres unavailable for this two-game Ireland tour, Osborne will be sensing opportunity. Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose are both away with the Lions, while Robbie Henshaw is nursing a knee injury. Make a statement across these two games and Osborne can have a bigger say in the selection conversation when the November internationals roll around.
Georgia and Portugal might not have the blockbuster billing of a Lions tour, but Osborne is still enjoying his time in a refreshed Ireland camp.
'I suppose when you're in the squad with people with a lot more experience,you're probably looking to learn off them a lot. You're looking up to them, you're asking more questions. Whereas, maybe in this environment, I've been here a couple of years now, so it's probably about passing on a bit more knowledge than I would.
'There's a lot of excitement in the group, a lot of uncapped players so I suppose we all just want to gel together quickly and put in the best performance we can and just show how much it means to us to play for Ireland.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The 42
12 minutes ago
- The 42
'It takes a camp or two to get used to it. It can definitely be daunting'
WITH A BREAKTHROUGH season behind him, Jack Boyle can target the year ahead as the one in which he truly makes his stamp with Leinster and Ireland. The former St Michael's man has ticked a lot off the bucket list recently. The 23-year-old came into Ireland camp last month with a URC medal in his pocket, and he was centrally involved in that success. While Boyle only played six minutes in the URC final, he notched up 15 URC games across the season, with his total number of appearances across the campaign shooting from nine in 2023/24 to 17 in 2024/25. It was also the season he made his Champions Cup debut and won his first two caps for Ireland, coming off the bench twice in the Six Nations. Today he reaches another milestone, with the loosehead starting a Test match for the first time as Ireland take on Georgia in Tbilisi this evening [KO 6pm, Virgin Media]. He's not one of those players who sits down to plan out his goals for the season ahead, but these are the experiences he would have been targeting when he arrived back in for pre-season last summer. 'I suppose, in a weird way, I'd be a goal setter,' Boyle says. 'I wouldn't necessarily write them down or constantly be thinking about them but they'd definitely be at the back of my mind. 'I knew there's obviously two world-class players in front of me with Cian Healy and Andrew Porter, so I knew there would be a bit of being patient and biding my time, but ultimately I knew I wanted to play in an Irish jersey and I was lucky enough to do that over the Six Nations. 'The start of the year, it's tough to gauge where you're at, and you kind of have to take it week by week. I know that's quite cliché, but you really don't know where you stand until you get into the season. So for the most part it was week-on-week, but ultimately you have to keep performing well, keep pushing hard and if you get opportunities you just have to take them.' Advertisement Boyle was a URC winner with Leinster last season. Ben Brady / INPHO Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO Looking to the future, there's one less obstacle in Boyle's way, with the long-serving Cian Healy now retired. That the 37-year-old managed to stay at the highest level for so long highlights not just his own impressive longevity, but also the fact that Ireland haven't exactly been blessed with looseheads. There's an opportunity there for Boyle to grab, and while he's still one of the newer faces around the Irish squad his time in camp earlier this year has helped him take a more confident approach into this two-game summer tour, which continues in Portugal next week. 'It's always tough coming into camp for the first time. So making sure that you don't take the feedback too seriously, you don't take criticism too seriously, you enjoy the experience and you get to know the way Irish players play and the way that the coaches want to see you play. To be honest, it does take probably a camp or two to get properly used to it. It can definitely be daunting. 'The main thing is being yourself. Faz would always speak about being yourself and making sure that you don't try too hard, you don't get in your own way, you don't overthink things too much, you enjoy the experience and you get to know the lads. The better and closer you are with the lads, the easier it will be, on the pitch they'll pick you up, they'll give you a bit of feedback, they'll help you out. 'So yeah, not getting in your own way and probably not taking it too seriously at times as well (is important).' The loosehead was capped twice during the Six Nations. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO This evening Boyle starts in an all-Leinster front row alongside hooker Gus McCarthy and tighthead Thomas Clarkson, with a total of 12 Test caps shared between the three. Given the pride Georgia place on their own scrummaging, it's a game that will put the spotlight firmly on the Ireland front-rowers. 'Yeah, Georgia obviously traditionally very strong up front, but I suppose we're not going to shy away from that. We're going to impose ourselves and make sure we have a real crack at it. 'There's plenty of Top 14 experience and all that kind of thing, but at the same time we're not going to take a step back from that, we're going to enjoy the challenge and hopefully get on the right side of them really. 'There's obviously a young enough group front row-wise, but the competition and the hunger in the group to keep improving is there, definitely. 'We spoke with Cullie (Tucker) when we first came into camp about Georgia's strengths and what they'll look to look to do there, so we know exactly what they're going to bring and we just need to make sure that we match it.'
The Irish Sun
14 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
What TV channel is Georgia vs Ireland on? Kick-off time, FREE stream, team news and odds for summer series opener
PAUL O'CONNELL'S Ireland are in Tbilisi for their opening summer series Test against Georgia. The Munster legend is standing in for the series in place of Advertisement 2 Paul O'Connell's Ireland face Georgia on Saturday Credit: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile 2 Craig Casey captains the team Credit: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile Here's everything you need to know about the match. When is it on and what time is kick-off? Georgia vs Kick-off is at 6pm Irish time. Where can I watch it? Fans in Ireland will be able to watch the game, as well as the follow-up Test against Portugal on terrestrial TV . Advertisement Read More on Ireland Rugby Virgin Media One will be showing both games, with today's coverage getting underway at 5:33pm. It will also be available to stream via the Virgin Media Player. What are the teams? Georgia: Davit Niniashvili, Akaki Tabutsadze, Demur Tapladze, Giorgi Kveseladze, Sandro Todua, Luka Matkava, Vasil Lobzhanidze; Giorgi Akhaladze, Vano Karkadze, Irakli Aptsiauri, Mikheil Babunashvili, Lado Chachanidze, Luka Ivanishvili, Beka Saghinadze, Tornike Jalagonia. Replacements: Irakli Kvatadze, Giorgi Tetrashvili, Beka Gigashvili, Giorgi Javakhia, Ilia Spanderashvili, Mikheil Alania, Tedo Abzhandadze, Tornike Kakhoidze. Advertisement Most read in Rugby Union Ireland: Jimmy O'Brien, Tommy O'Brien, Jamie Osborne, Stuart McCloskey, Replacements: Tom Stewart, Michael Milne, Jack Aungier, Tom Ahern, Cian Prendergast, Ben Murphy, Craig Casey shares hilarious 'fear' weighing on him before captaining Ireland for first time vs Georgia What are the odds? Georgia, who are 11the in the world rankings and above Wales , are 7/1 to beat the new look Ireland team. As for the visitors, they are out to 1/12 to pick up the victory while the draw is at 35/1. Advertisement What has been said in the build-up? summer series and Interim boss out in the absence of injured captain Since Australia with the British and Irish Lions, O'Connell has been left with a majorly inexperienced squad for the summer Tests. Captain Doris was unavailable with a shoulder injury and Wales in the Advertisement With other seasoned internationals such as Peter O'Mahony and When speaking to Virgin Media he spoke about what it means to him to be given the Ireland captaincy for the summer Test matches.] He said: "It was brilliant. It's probably not something you dream about when you are younger. Captaining Ireland is probably something that is way out of my league of what I thought I could do when I was younger. "When you see the calibre of players that have never captained their country I think it is very special for me. Advertisement The former Ardscoil Rís captain was asked what will be going through his head as he leads his Ireland teammates out onto the pitch to face Georgia and his response was an unexpected one. He answered "Firstly I hope the mascot isn't taller than me like the (Ireland) A game."
RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
2013 and all that - Dublin desire Rebel redemption in All-Ireland hurling semi-final
Sweet and sour. In 2013, Dublin's hurlers beat Wexford, Kilkenny and Galway to end a 52-year wait for a Leinster title. A first All-Ireland crown since 1938 was firmly in their sights but Anthony Daly's men fell at the semi-final hurdle, losing a cracker to Cork by five points after playing the final 20 minutes a man down. The one that got away, as Johnny McCaffrey, the man who lifted the Bob O'Keeffe Cup that July, is regularly reminded. "It's the one that most people remember, to be honest," the former Dublin midfielder tells RTÉ Sport. "The way we won it, then got knocked out in a great game. How close we were. "When people mention winning Leinster, then, nearly the next sentence is 'Geez, the Cork game got away from you'. "It certainly doesn't take away from the Leinster at all, it's still a fantastic achievement to have that, but it would obviously have been nice to go on and compete in an All-Ireland final. Who knows what would happen in a final?" Back when semi-finals were August Sundays, Dublin's Danny Sutcliffe had opened the scoring after just 10 seconds and the teams traded scores freely thereafter at Croke Park. Cork led by the minimum at the break - 0-15 to 1-11 - after David Treacy's kicked goal had edged the Dubs back in front. The Dubs' adopted Tipp man Ryan O'Dwyer had received his first yellow card in the second minute for a shoulder that also hit the chest of Luke O'Farrell just after he released the ball and in the 49th minute, he was shown a second yellow, for a similar offence. Cork inched back ahead but Dublin were level as late as the hour mark – 1-18 to 0-21 – before only scoring once in the final 10 minutes. An opportunist goal from Patrick Horgan in the 66th minute – flicking the ball off goalkeeper Gary Maguire's hurl and to the net – finally gave Cork breathing space and Dublin couldn't find the goal they needed. 1-24 to 1-19 at the final whistle. "We played really well," reflects McCaffrey. "It was a great game for the neutral, obviously not great for us, not winning it, but a really good game of hurling. "We went toe to toe with them and, when we look back at it, maybe we were too open. They got a score, we got a score. Maybe we could have sat off a little bit and defended a bit more. It's easy to say afterwards, but when you're going well and there's not much in it, you just want to keep at it and try to get that extra point more than the opposition. "We had played the seventh defender in other games, and went more 15 on 15 [that day]. We were capable of that, no problem, it was just Cork who got that extra couple of scores in the end that mattered. "We were down to 14 for the last 20 minutes of the game, which probably did have an impact, but Ryan was performing really well on the day itself, so it was him not being there as a presence that was just as hard to take as being down to 14. "These things happen and Cork just came out the right side in the end." Lorcán McLoughlin was the player who took O'Dwyer's second frontal charge that day. Coincidentally, he had also been the player fouled by Henry Shefflin for the first of his two yellows in the three-in-a-row chasing Cats' quarter-final exit to Cork. "The one thing I remember about that year was all those sendings-off," the midfielder, who retired in 2018, tells RTÉ Sport. "The Munster final [Limerick 0-24, Cork 0-15], Patrick Horgan had been sent off. The quarter-final, Henry Shefflin had been sent off. And then the semi-final, Ryan O'Dwyer was sent off. "Henry Shefflin's first one in the quarter-final was a chop on my hurley. It was no yellow card and that was actually rescinded. "In the semi-final, he [O'Dwyer] picked up one early, a chest-high tackle I think. The second one then was a frontal tackle on me as well. I actually had to go off as a blood sub. "He did catch me but it was actually my mistake, I went to pick the ball and it came up a bit high. I was reaching for it and he just came across. I suppose that one was more of a yellow card than the first one. I thought the first yellow card was harsh enough for him. "Dublin were excellent that year. Sutcliffe, O'Dwyer, [Liam] Rushe. They had a lot of good players. It was actually a cracking game of hurling and it's just a pity with the sendings-off when games are so close." Cork went on to lose the All-Ireland final replay to a Shane O'Donnell-inspired Clare and have been beaten in two more deciders since. Dublin lost a tight qualifier with 14 men to the Rebels in 2016 and failed to get back to the last four until this year. Today, they will again face the county that killed the dream 12 years ago. The Boys in Blue got here by pulling off hurling's biggest shock in decades, a 2-24 to 0-28 quarter-final win over a Limerick side fancied to win their sixth Liam MacCarthy Cup in eight years. "The best thing about it was the performance and that it was fully deserved," says McCaffrey. "The work-rate, the want to keep going, and the togetherness of the group. It was great that it wasn't a lucky goal or something like that. It was a proper performance for the full 70 minutes. "When they went down to 14 men, the performance got better. They didn't down tools, they kept at it, and the spirit was fantastic. "Limerick went a point ahead and maybe thought they were going to kick on, but the Dublin lads stuck with it. They didn't put their heads down, they said 'We're here to win this'. Seán Brennan's save was a massive moment and lads getting blocks at the end, throwing bodies on the line. That just shows the will of the group to really put in a performance like that on a big stage. "It's great to have that buzz back again, people talking in a positive light about Dublin hurling. We haven't had a really big win like that in a long time." The most jaw-dropping aspect of the quarter-final triumph was that that red card came just 15 minutes in, Dublin losing captain Chris Crummey, a Lucan Sarsfields clubmate of McCaffrey, for a high tackle on Gearóid Hegarty. "You can see some sort of reasoning with it, but it looked like there was very little force," suggests McCaffrey. "It's very unfortunate for Chris. He was on the panel in '13, but wasn't playing. So to miss out on the big semi-final after being there so long is cruel for him really." McLoughlin sympathises with both Crummey and referee Liam Gordon, who issued the red card, while also being impressed with Dublin's ability to go on and win, having played with 14 men for so long. "I suppose anything head-high you're in dangerous territory," he observes. "You just don't want to see anyone being sent off in any game, unless it's reckless. "But referees have to protect players as well. And if it is head-high and it is an elbow you can have very little complaints. "Dublin, the last day, they bucked that trend of the team a man down losing. Huge credit to them for their work-rate. It was very impressive. Good variety in their play. They went long and direct, they ran the ball and they had shooters from all over the field. "They matched Limerick physically, got great scores and played from start to finish. Fully deserved their win in fairness. "It just goes to show in sport, you have to take your chances and if a team gets any bit of momentum…" McLoughlin hopes that the nature of their opponents' progress "will focus Cork". "The fact that Dublin turned over Limerick, they can't be taken for granted. I don't think Cork will fall into that trap of being complacent. "Cork have just been through the mill too much. Losing the All-Ireland final last year, there was a lot of hype around it. I think Limerick took the edge off Cork as well with the 16-point beating [in the Munster round-robin]. There's been an awful lot of learning in the last two years and awful lot to take from those games. "They're in a great position. This seems like the strongest Cork panel that's been there since the All-Ireland in 2005. Huge credit to Pat Ryan because it seems to be coming together now at the right stage as well. Semi-finals are for winning. It doesn't have to be perfect. Go and get the job done and then there will be stuff to work on. "I'm nearly afraid to say it, but I think they can [win the All-Ireland]. The one thing I would say is that each of the four teams that are left will all fancy their chances. Cork haven't won in 20 years. Kilkenny in 10 years. Tipperary haven't been in the semi-final since 2019 and Dublin are after beating Limerick. So every team will have plenty of hunger and motivation and, probably the big team, Limerick are gone out of it now, very similar to 2013 with ourselves, Dublin, Clare and Limerick. Everyone saw that Kilkenny were gone then, so it was anyone's opportunity. I think that's the case again this year." McLoughlin, still only 35 and a dual player for Kanturk, trained with St Vincent's a few years ago while working in Dublin and was taken by Conor Burke, Riain McBride and big John Hetherton. "I'm impressed with their full-back line as well," he says. "They're strong. Conor McHugh, since he has come back into the side as well, has been very impressive. "All over the field, they have a lot of good players. The only thing I'd say the loss of Crummey is huge. That's a real setback for them. I know they got over the line against Limerick, but he's pivotal to their defence. "I think the middle third is going to be huge. Conor Burke and [Dublin's] Brian Hayes are brilliant, but Darragh Fitz is back in his natural position of midfield. Tim O'Mahony's form is good. I think the game will be probably won and lost there." "There's going to be nobody outside of Dublin giving them a chance" The Dubs' victory over Limerick demands respect but they are still long odds to make it through to the final. "There's going to be nobody outside of Dublin giving them a chance," says McCaffrey. "Everyone's expecting Cork to win the game, similar to the last day against Limerick. "I'm sure the Dublin lads will just be looking for a performance like they gave against Limerick, in Croke Park on a big day. They'll know they have that in the locker, so it's a matter of just hopefully getting that out of themselves again, and who knows what could happen then if they do. "Dublin will be looking to start well, bring it up to half-time and then reset and go from there again. Maybe get a goal or two, and keep out the Cork goal opportunities. Goals were probably a thing that we haven't been getting over the last so to have that threat is massive. Cork are going to be looking to get goals, they have an inside-forward line that thrive on getting goal opportunities. But our lads inside have got them as well and been able to take them. We're going to need to get a couple of them again. "The hallmark of Dublin's good performances this year has been that the bench has added a great impact. They need that to get them over the line and hopefully they'll get that again." Although former Clare captain Daly is an honorary Dub at this stage - "We'd count him as one of ours" - McCaffrey, a selector with the county Under 20s this year, has been encouraged that it is first-year boss Niall Ó Ceallacháin's home-grown management team that have bridged the semi-final gap. "That's been really pleasing, from my point of view. Dave Curtin, Donal McGovern, all the backroom team, all Dubs. "It's fantastic to see. It shows that the talent is within Dublin, to go and manage and coach at the highest level. You might have said three or four years ago that that wasn't the case, but it's slowly getting there now. You can have Dublin people involved at the highest level and compete. "That has shone through in the lads, the performances have been from the heart and lads playing for jersey and that's obviously coming from the management team as well. It's fantastic to see and long may it continue." "Whatever Dublin crowd is there have followed them for a long time now and will get right behind them" Against Limerick, Dublin were buoyed by fans arriving during the second half ahead of their footballers clash with Cork. Today, the red jerseys are expected to significantly outnumber the blue in a full house, or close to, at Headquarters. "It's a frenzy for tickets," says McLoughlin. "They're exciting, they're going for goals, and that's why they're getting so much support." McCaffrey thinks Dublin will thrive on the bigger stage, regardless. "There probably will be more Cork, but that won't bother the Dublin lads, they'll just be just revelling in it. Whatever Dublin crowd is there have followed them for a long time now and will get right behind them. "In 2013, the atmosphere was something that we hadn't experienced before and that was sixty-odd thousand. It was great to be able to respond to that and put in the performance that we did on the day. "There are going be more there on Saturday. To be at a Dublin hurling game that's close to capacity in Croke Park is fantastic. The atmosphere will be electric." Watch the All-Ireland Hurling Championship semi-finals with RTÉ Sport. Cork v Dublin on Saturday from 4.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player and Kilkenny v Tipperary on Sunday from 3.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player.
