Ireland gamble on out-of-position rookie at fullback

Ireland coach Andy Farrell has sprung a surprise by naming 22-year-old rookie Jamie Osborne at fullback for Saturday’s first test of the Castle Lager Series against the Springboks at Loftus.

Why the selection of the Leinster player is such a surprise is because Osborne has primarily played at centre in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship and in the Investec Champions Cup.

He has played fullback occasionally, but he hasn’t done so for quite a while, with his last appearance in the position being in the opening URC game against Glasgow Warriors at The Scotstoun last October.

Jimmy O’Brien was expected by most Irish pundits to play fullback, a position which was made vacant by regular fullback Hugo Keenan making himself unavailable to tour so he could represent the Ireland Sevens team at the Olympics in Paris.

There are other squad members, such as Jordan Larmour, Ciaran Frawley and Jacob Stockdale who have played fullback for Ireland before.

It is going to be a tough baptism for Osborne as the altitude factor, with the ball flying higher and further in the rarified atmosphere, makes playing fullback particularly testing at Loftus.

And no doubt Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus would have noted the success that the Vodacom Bulls derived from kicking the ball behind Leinster in the recent URC semifinal at the same venue.

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Leinster, with former Bok coach Jacques Nienaber pulling the defensive strings, have a different defence system to the Ireland national team, but it is still a massive ask for Osborne and there won’t be any prizes for guessing that the world champions will target him.

SPOTLIGHT ON SCRUMHALF

There are 15 players in the Ireland 23 who play for the team that was beaten when it visited Pretoria for the URC final, and there are five changes to the team that beat the Boks in the big World Cup Pool B game in Paris last September.

Apart from Osborne coming in for Keenan, Munster wing Calvin Nash is in for the injured Mack Hansen on the wing, while fellow Munster player Jack Crowley is at flyhalf for the now retired Johnny Sexton.

Crowley is no stranger to the Ireland No 10 jersey having worn it for most of the winning Six Nations campaign. He was on the bench in the World Cup game just over eight months ago.

There is probably going to be more of a spotlight going into this game on the man who replaces the injured scrumhalf Jamison Gibson-Park, who was very much Ireland’s playmaker in the absence of Sexton during the Six Nations.

The responsibility falls on Craig Casey, who is at least familiar with his Munster teammate, Crowley.

The other change from Paris is in the front row, where Dan Sheehan is back at hooker.

Ronan Kelleher, on the bench at Loftus, was the starting hooker against the Boks last time, so they are effectively trading places.

With seven of the eight forwards who did duty in the big World Cup game back again, and Sheehan is rated as one of the best in his position in the world, the pack certainly doesn’t lack experience.

The backline looks a bit more vulnerable, but Farrell will have a good reason for calling in Osborne and must see plenty of potential in the young player if he is prepared to back him in the No 15 jersey for such a big game at a venue like Loftus.

IRELAND TEAM: Jamie Osborne (Leinster), Calvin Nash (Munster), Robbie Henshaw (Leinster), Bundee Aki (Connacht), James Lowe (Leinster), Jack Crowley (Munster), Craig Casey (Munster), Caelan Doris (Leinster), Josh van der Flier (Leinster), Peter O’Mahony (Munster - captain), Tadhg Beirne (Munster), Joe McCarthy (Leinster), Tadhg Furlong (Leinster), Dan Sheehan (Leinster), Andrew Porter (Leinster).

REPLACEMENTS: Ronan Kelleher (Leinster), Cian Healy (Leinster), Finlay Bealham (Connacht), James Ryan (Leinster), Ryan Baird (Leinster), Conor Murray (Munster), Ciaran Frawley (Leinster), Garry Ringrose (Leinster).