Jamie Osborne helping to hold the backline as Ireland look for rhythm

Ireland have put together impressive scores in every game this season. Stitching more of those moments together through the 80 minutes is the next step.

Jamie Osborne has played outside centre, wing, and full-back for Ireland. Pic: ©INPHO/Billy Stickland

Guys like Jamie Osborne are gold dust. Add in a testing injury list that includes your world-class full-back, and assorted other questions over form and fitness elsewhere in the back line, and that value rockets.

Osborne wore every jersey from No.11 to 15 for Leinster last season. He has played at outside-centre, on the wing and at the back for his country. Not a surprise, then, that he is still being asked which might be his favourite position.

“While I'm playing full back, I’ll say full-back.” Smart answer. Andy Farrell, the Ireland head coach, will just be thankful that, with Hugo Keenan still out, the Kildare man made it back from injury in time to slot into the back field for the opening two Six Nations games in recent weeks.

It was a shoulder injury suffered against Japan in November that had kept Osborne on the sidelines until that difficult trip to Paris. He felt good in terms of his readiness in Stade de France, and that bit better again against the Italians in Dublin.

“A lot of credit has to be given to the medical team at Leinster. Even the week of [Ireland] camp in Portugal I probably did a lot more extras around contacts and stuff than I would usually do, just because I haven't had that.” 

Still only 24, and with just a dozen caps to his name, Osborne has been the stabilising presence so far in a back three that has featured four starting wingers across the two games as Farrell goes about rejuvenating the side’s clunky attack.

Tommy O’Brien and Jacob Stockdale struggled against the French, and then paid the price by dropping out of the matchday squad entirely for round two. Robert Baloucoune and James Lowe made a better fist of it last weekend.

Baloucoune’s finishing for Ireland’s third try capped what Farrell described as being up there with the best team try his Ireland side has scored. Osborne was one of 14 Irish players to contribute to the eight-phase move along the way.

“I thought Rob was class. It was my first week really training with him as well and I thought just his ability with the ball … he gets his hands free as well. His ability to beat defenders and his own out speed is a real point of difference for him. He's a joy to play with.”

Ireland’s first try wasn’t bad either with the full-back ghosting behind his backline as the ball went through three pairs of hands before Stuart McCloskey spun around in contact and handed off to Osborne motoring past on a perfectly supported line.

The Leinster man was a tad too quick in playing down his role in it all afterwards, but he was right to highlight the input of the Ulster centre whose offloading abilities have added a crucial and unpredictable dimension to Ireland’s work going forward.

“Yeah, exactly, and to be fair I didn't expect him to throw a quarterback pass to Rob Baloucoune [for the second try]. So he comes out with a bit of unexpected stuff as well, but he's a joy to play with.

“When you see him carrying forward and you're behind him you know you've got a good chance he's going to pop the ball to you. Yeah, 100%. We had a close one in Chicago [against New Zealand], if you can remember.

“He always gets good go-forward ball and he's so good at getting his hands free.” 

It’s ten years this month since McCloskey made an impressive debut against England at Twickenham, where Ireland return this Saturday, and his emergence at the age of 33 as the fulcrum of Ireland’s creative play is timely.

The ongoing uncertainty over the No.10 shirt isn’t helping a side that for so long spun on Johnny Sexton’s axis and one whose multi-phase attack is struggling to make inroads in a game that has pivoted towards a more kick-heavy and transitional model.

Ireland have put together impressive scores in every game this season: in defeat to New Zealand, South Africa and France, and in beating Australia, Japan and Italy. Stitching more of those moments together through the 80 minutes is the next step.

“Andy alluded to the intent factor last week and how it wasn't really there,” said Osborne of that French defeat. “It wasn't perfect [against Italy], but we brought a lot more intent. We had some, I thought, very nice passages to play.

“It might have been a wide breakdown or the last pass that we'd come undone by, but I thought it was a lot more positive anyway. And I know there's a lot to work on, but we can be pleased with the intent part of the game.”