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 Jamie Osborne at a Lions gym session.Dan Sheridan/INPHO The call Jamie Osborne got from Andy Farrell in a Lisbon taxi The 23-year-old will make his Lions debut on Tuesday. 8.01pm, 21 Jul 2025 Share options Murray Kinsella Reports from Melbourne JAMIE OSBORNE WAS in a taxi in Lisbon at 11am two Thursdays ago when his phone buzzed. He saw Andy Farrell’s name and immediately thought, ‘This is probably good.’ Also in the taxi with Osborne were Craig Casey, Cian Prendergast, Jack Crowley, and Darragh Murray. This quintet of Ireland internationals were on the way to the barbers for their pre-Portugal Test haircuts. The call came out of the blue. Farrell hadn’t been onto Osborne before that to let him know something might be in the works. So the good news of his Lions call-up came as a surprise. “The lads were probably celebrating more than myself,” said Osborne today in Melbourne as he recalled the scene in that Lisbon taxi. “I think every player dreams of it. I probably didn’t have much hopes for it after the initial squad announcement. I wasn’t really thinking about it but it was amazing to get the call. “I rang my mum straight away and she was delighted.” His parents had already booked a family holiday with Jamie’s younger brothers, so they’ll be watching on from Spain tomorrow as he makes his Lions debut at outside centre against the First Nations & Pasikifa XV in Melbourne [KO 11am Irish time, Sky Sports]. After the call from Farrell, Osborne had time to get back to Ireland camp, celebrate with the rest of his team-mates, and then he flew out to Australia the following day. Osborne arrived ahead of the first Test.Billy Stickland / INPHO Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO There were nerves arriving into Lions camp in Brisbane but the familiarity of so many faces from Ireland helped Osborne to settle in quickly. He has been rooming with Josh van der Flier – “nice and chilled, doesn’t snore, neat and tidy” – so all has been well off the pitch. Advertisement There is also lots of overlap between how Ireland play and how the Lions have set up, so even though there were different calls for Osborne to learn in Australia, he was able to hit the ground running on the pitch too. Osborne was one of the Lions’ extra players for the first Test in Brisbane last weekend, doing the warm-up with Farrell’s side and drinking in the atmosphere at Suncorp Stadium. Tomorrow, he dons the Lions jersey himself for the first time and is excited to be playing alongside skipper Owen Farrell in midfield. “It’s really cool,” said Osborne. “You can see the leadership he brings around camp and the way he speaks, it’s very impressive. When he speaks, everyone listens so hopefully it’s going to be a good tomorrow night playing alongside him.” One of Osborne’s friends from home, Mark Gorman, is living in Melbourne and they’re hoping to catch up. They played together in Naas RFC when they were younger. There’s huge pride in Naas about the latest leap in Osborne’s impressive rise and he has had plenty of messages from home congratulating him and wishing him well. “I don’t know if I’m flying the flag,” said Osborne when it was suggested that he is now an inspiration for other young youths players. “Tadhg [Furlong] has done that before me and I probably would have looked up to him and even Sean O’Brien. “Hopefully, there’s more people coming up through that system because there’s definitely a lot of potential there.” Osborne will start at outside centre tomorrow.Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO This Lions experience is the culmination of an interesting season for Osborne. Last summer, he started two Tests for Ireland at fullback against the Springboks and looked set to have a massive 2024/25 season. He has had an excellent campaign, featuring for Ireland in the November Tests and making two starts during this year’s Six Nations, but he has also had to deal with being left out of Leinster’s matchday 23 for their Champions Cup quarter-final and semi-final. The arrival of Jordie Barrett meant Osborne got squeezed out on those two occasions. Knowing that might be the case, he found Barrett signing for Leinster both exciting and an inconvenience. “Definitely a bit of both,” said Osborne. “There’s a lot of competition with the Irish lads, and there’s enough competition there that you’re used to being around good players. You have to learn from them and you have to compete with them. There’s no real choice. “I really enjoy it. Jordie was obviously unbelievable to have in Leinster last year. He played so well in every game. Then you see what he did at the weekend when he came on for New Zealand. It’s definitely important to learn from him. “It was frustrating not to play in those Champions Cup games, but the campaign as a whole, I was happy with how it ended. I haven’t really reflected too hard on it, but the general feeling is happy enough.” Rieko Ioane will come in next season to offer more competition in the outside backs, but Osborne is determined to enjoy this Lions adventure now. FIRST NATIONS & PASIFIKA XV: Andy Muirhead; Triston Reilly, Lalakai Foketi, David Feliuai, Filipo Daugunu; Kurtley Beale, Kalani Thomas; Lington Ieli, Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Taniela Tupou; Darcy Swain, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto; Seru Uru, Charlie Gamble, Tuaina Taii Tualima. Replacements: Richie Asiata, Marley Pearce, Mesake Doge, Mesake Vocevoce, Rob Leota, Harrison Goddard, Jack Debreczeni, Jarrah McLeod. LIONS: Blair Kinghorn; Darcy Graham, Jamie Osborne, Owen Farrell (captain), Duhan van der Merwe; Fin Smith, Ben White; Pierre Schoeman, Jamie George, Finlay Bealham; James Ryan, Scott Cummings; Jac Morgan, Josh van der Flier, Henry Pollock. Replacements: Ewan Ashman, Rory Sutherland, Tom Clarkson, Gregor Brown, Ben Earl, Alex Mitchell, Marcus Smith, Garry Ringrose Referee: Nika Amashukeli [GRU]. Murray Kinsella Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “The call Jamie Osborne got from Andy Farrell in a Lisbon taxi”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “The call Jamie Osborne got from Andy Farrell in a Lisbon taxi”. 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... 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