Osborne injury will force back three reshuffle

The now injured Jamie Osborne had been deputising for the injured Hugo Keenan

Jamie Osborne of Ireland is tackled by Kippei Ishida of Japan during the Quilter Nations Series 2025 match between Ireland and Japan at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile

Andy Farrell will be forced into a backline reshuffle for Ireland’s showdown with Australia in Dublin on Saturday following full-back Jamie Osborne’s suspected shoulder dislocation during the 41-10 victory over Japan.

Osborne had been deputising for the injured Hugo Keenan, whose rehabilitation from the hip surgery he underwent following the British and Irish Lions tour to Australia this summer is expected to keep him sidelined until after Christmas. Yet after starts against both New Zealand and Japan on successive Saturday’s Osborne’s Ireland involvement looks over for the remaining two games of the Quilter Nations Series, leaving the Ireland boss to consider his options for the number 15 jersey.

Mack Hansen was considered Keenan’s most likely replacement but is still working his way back from a foot injury that caused him to miss the Lions’s Test series against the Wallabies and which resurfaced in Connacht’s game against the Bulls last month.

Jimmy O’Brien replaced Osborne in the second half against Japan while another option could be Jacob Stockdale, who started on the wing at Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

"I think Mack is progressing so we'll see how he is,” Farrell said. “Don't know the full story there but I know it's progressing well.

"Jacob, by his own admission, he loves playing full-back. So there's options with Jimmy O’Brien. So just unfortunate for Jamie.

“Doesn't look good, doesn't look good. Poor lad. You could see why. By the way he was holding his arm, I thought he might have broken something, but it's the shoulder. We think that it was out of place and it’s back in place now, but to know that for sure, we'll have to obviously get a look at that.” 

Speaking before Italy’s surprise victory over Joe Schmidt’s Australia, Farrell talked about the threats the Wallabies posed, and which made the Lions’ 2-1 Test Series success Down Under such a hard-fought affair during the summer.

“Everyone knows the threats they've got, as far as the pace and athleticism in the backline, but the threat is up front, as well. The way they go about their business up front is obviously a part of their game that got better throughout that (Lions) series. It'll be a hell of a Test match, next week.”