Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Hugo Keenan in the gym with the Lions. Keenan in pole position as Osborne flies in after Kinghorn injury The Naas man offers great versatility to Andy Farrell’s squad. 6.01am, 11 Jul 2025 Share options Murray Kinsella Reports from Adelaide AS JAMISON GIBSON-Park and Lachlan Shaw landed onto his left knee, Blair Kinghorn let out a roar of pain. He instantly knew something was wrong, punching the Canberra ground in frustration at being struck by injury only nine minutes into his first start at fullback for the Lions. Kinghorn and everyone else sensed that if he could nail this audition against the Brumbies, he had an excellent chance of starting the first Test against the Wallabies. The medics strapped up the Scotland international’s knee and he played on for another 15 minutes but he wasn’t moving well. The look of sheer despondency on his face as he limped down the tunnel with his hands on his head spoke volumes. The good news is that a scan yesterday has not ruled Kinghorn out of the rest of the tour. The bad news, though, is that he is a major doubt for the first Test in eight days. Andy Farrell hasn’t sent Kinghorn home but he has called for cover at fullback, where the Lions had already lost Elliot Daly to a broken arm. Daly was replaced by Owen Farrell – a 10 or 12 – partly because he is an experienced leader, as is Daly. 24-year-old Jamie Osborne is now a Lion. This is the latest step in the Naas man’s impressive rise. Osborne still only has eight Ireland caps and he is not a first-choice player for Leinster. He didn’t make their matchday squad for the Champions Cup quarter-finals or semi-finals. But he is a very talented player and someone who Farrell rates highly. When Hugo Keenan was away with Ireland 7s at the Olympics last year, Farrell surprised everybody by handing Osborne his Test debut at fullback against the Springboks in Pretoria. He was a fullback coming through with Naas, but had been playing in midfield for Leinster. Advertisement Osborne did well as he won his first cap and then shone in Ireland’s second Test victory over the South Africans in Durban, showing he has a head for heights. Osborne was at number 13 for Ireland last weekend.Ben Brady / INPHO Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO Since then, Osborne has had two further starts at number 15 for Ireland, one on the left wing, and another at outside centre last weekend against Georgia. He’s also come off the bench in midfield twice. So he offers the Lions major versatility by being able to play at 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15. That positional flexibility will be useful for the Lions as Kinghorn recovers from his knee injury and they manage any other niggles among their outside backs in the coming weeks. You could forgive Osborne if he found certain stages of this season frustrating. While he continues to make progress, he wants to start every big game for Leinster and Ireland. This call-up and the experience he’s about to have will surely only add to his self-belief. It’s a proud achievement for everyone in the Osborne family, Naas RFC, the Leinster Youths system, and Irish rugby. This makes it 17 Irish players on the Lions tour, a whopping tally that isn’t going down well in some quarters. Another positive knock-on effect is that Hugh Gavin, also a big talent, will now start for Ireland against Portugal tomorrow. Osborne’s high-level potential has been clear for a long time. Back in 2021, Johnny Sexton told Farrell to watch out for an exceptional young back who was breaking into the Leinster set-up. This fella was the best since Garry Ringrose, said Sexton, a guy who had an instinctive feel for the game and was a big, powerful athlete who could move well. Those traits still stand out now. Osborne will land in Australia on Saturday and he’ll hope to make his debut against the First Nations & Pasifika XV in the Lions’ midweek game between the first and second Tests. As for the first Test team, there’s no doubt that Keenan is now in pole position unless Kinghorn makes a miracle recovery. The Ireland fullback will wear the number 15 shirt against the AUNZ Invitational XV in Adelaide tomorrow, getting a chance to build rhythm in his game a week out from the first Wallabies clash. It has been a tricky tour for Keenan so far. He was late into camp because of his Leinster involvement but arrived with a calf injury that meant he wasn’t named in a team until their third game against the Reds. Keenan then had to pull out of that match after being hit by a vomiting bug. Keenan with Lions fans in Sydney.Billy Stickland / INPHO Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO When Keenan finally got onto the pitch against the Waratahs a few days later, he hadn’t played in a full five weeks. The rustiness showed as he struggled to hit the level of performance we have almost come to take for granted. Farrell felt the injury and illness had taken an emotional toll on Keenan. But now, the Lions boss expects the Hugo Keenan who has been outstanding for Ireland over the last few years. Keenan has been the best fullback in the Lions nations over the last four-year cycle. If you zoom out, he arguably deserves to be the Test fullback. He’ll want to show his commanding aerial prowess tomorrow, as well as his superb tackling and peerless work-rate and focus in the backfield. Keenan might not be the most creative attacking fullback but he is seriously smart, always nails his roles, and is quick. It’s time for Keenan to take control at number 15. Murray Kinsella Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Keenan in pole position as Osborne flies in after Kinghorn injury”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “Keenan in pole position as Osborne flies in after Kinghorn injury”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. 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