He said the recent win over England was a ‘special day’, with his family and friends making the trip to Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, and ranks it up there alongside his first victory in the green jersey, against World champions South Africa in July 2024.
Osborne won just his second cap in Durban, his introduction to Test rugby that summer coming in the number 15 shirt. He has worn it seven more times since then, including across the Six Nations’ opening three rounds, with Hugo Keenan currently sidelined through injury.
The Naas man appears to be growing in confidence with each passing game. How he ploughed through Guy Pepper for his try in London was visible evidence of that, but does he feel more settled now at full-back after maintaining his presence in the back-three these last few weeks?
“It’s helpful definitely, stacking games on games, because you get a bit more used to the role. A bit more confidence week on week,” he said, speaking ahead of Friday night’s clash with Wales at the Aviva Stadium (kick-off 8.10pm).
“I suppose anything that you need to work on from the previous week, you’re able to implement that. So it obviously makes things a bit easier, I’d say.
“I like playing in a number of positions. It’s obviously a cliché, but wherever you get played, that is where I’ll play.
“But it’s definitely nice having a few games at 15 and just being able to concentrate on that for a bit, and build on the performances.”
Even if he appears to be solidifying his place in the team for this year’s Championship, Osborne is keeping his feet firmly planted on the ground. He can see in training how hard the full-back contenders are vying for a starting spot, and Jimmy O’Brien is also just back from an injury lay-off.
Given his impressive form in making seven starts at full-back for Ulster this season, the experienced Jacob Stockdale is very much in the picture, although Ireland have largely used him on the left wing, most recently against Japan and France.
The Connacht-bound Ciarán Frawley is a similiar player to Osborne in terms of his skillset and versatility, and his second-half introduction against England, coming on for Garry Ringrose, saw him occupy the full-back berth with Osborne moving to outside centre.
Frawley wore the number 15 jersey five times for Leinster in the lead up to the Six Nations, as Osborne only stepped up his training load in January following his recovery from the shoulder injury he suffered against Japan during the Quilter Nations Series.
The 24-year-old has accumulated 223 minutes of Six Nations rugby since his return, and admitted: “I think being in the team each week definitely gives you more confidence, but I think there’s a lot of competition still, I wouldn’t say I’m comfortable.
“I know Jacob obviously has been training with us. He played against France on the wing but he can definitely play 15,
“‘Frawls’ came on at 15 in Twickenham and did well as well. There’s still a lot of competition, that I wouldn’t get too comfortable.”
When Andy Farrell handed Osborne his Ireland debut only two summers ago, he spoke about him having ‘presence no matter what position he plays’, and being a ‘bright, very athletic’ player, who ‘suits the way we play’ with ‘nice, soft hands, good communication, a big left boot’, and who is ‘deceptively very quick’.
Given his progress since then, with four tries in 11 international starts, he now has fitness and form in his favour as Ireland’s starting full-back. When Keenan and Mack Hansen, a starter at 15 against Australia in November, both return from injury, the competition for places will intensify even more.
While modest and soft spoken off the pitch, Osborne is a fierce competitor when he crosses that white line – as any of his team-mates and coaches will attest to – so he will fight tooth and nail to try to hold onto the jersey when Keenan is back from his fractured thumb.
Having a player of the Kildare native’s natural footballing ability and big frame is hugely advantageous, given how teams are now using the boot more as a key part of their attacking strategy, as well as relieving defensive pressure.
Indeed, the number of kicks per match in the current Six Nations campaign is at its highest level since 2009, so it is no surprise that he highlights kicking from hand and competing in the air when asked what are the things about playing full-back that suit his game.
“I think the aerial and the kicking game. It’s a big part of the game at the moment and there’s a lot of contests and I think we, as a back-three, have been really going after that in the Six Nations.
“I think the progress from the first week (against France) in Paris to Twickenham has been really good in that area.
“I think that kind of suits my game, and I think just being able to have a bit of freedom to work in the attack, just work around and offer an extra set of hands as well.”
Farrell’s men come into round 4 of the Six Nations on a massive high, buoyed by what they achieved against England, but Wales, whitewashed in the last two Championships, are a lot better than their current standing suggests.
You only have to look back to last year’s close contest in Cardiff where Wales led 18-10 at one stage, before the visitors drew level thanks to an Osborne try – made even more memorable by James Lowe’s sensational aerial assist – and Sam Prendergast’s right boot saw them prevail by nine points.
Mindful of the improvements they still need to make before the end of the tournament, Osborne added: “We definitely don’t want to get too ahead of ourselves. As a team, we definitely don’t because we were pleased with the performance against England.
“But, you know, we still think there’s a lot that we can get better at and build into the next few games and into the future. So yeah, I don’t think it’s clicking (just) yet.”
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