Jamie Os๐๐จ๐ซ๐งe’s former coach Johne Murphy believes the 22-year-old has passed his test at full-back with flying colours against the Springboks, and says the selection was a ‘stroke of geunis’ by head coach Andy Farrell.
Os๐๐จ๐ซ๐งe, who was uncapped at Test level before this summer, started both games against the defending world champions in the absence of regular 15, Hugo Keenan, who is away with the Ireland Sevens.
While the versatile Leinster back had played the majority of his underage rugby at full-back, he has only ever started two games for Leinster in that position, with the majority of his 48 appearances for the province coming in the centre.
The Kildare man scored a try in Ireland’s first Test defeat in Pretoria, but was exceptional in the dramaticย 25-24 win over the Boksย at Kings Park on Saturday.
And Murphy, who coached Os๐๐จ๐ซ๐งe at Naas RFC, says his emergence as an international level full-back is a major win for Ireland’s depth chart.
“I thought he was going to end up as Garry Ringrose’s successor at that 13 slot, but heโs probably going to move into that mould of a 13-15 space,” the former Munster wing said on the RTร Rugby podcast.
“He was always very good in the air, a very good left boot. He has all the attributes, a big strong guy, all the attributes to be a top class 15 or 13. His versatility is going to be a good thing for him.
“From a depth chart perspective itโs a stroke of genius from Farrell. You have three guys, one right footer [Keenan], two left footers [Os๐๐จ๐ซ๐งe and Jimmy OโBrien] that are there, that can fill that slot very seamlessly.”
Bernard Jackman joined Murphy on this week’s podcast, and said Os๐๐จ๐ซ๐งe’s calmness under a siege of contestable kicks from the South Africans in Saturday’s second Test was particularly impressive.
“It’s rare Iโve seen a Springbok team get so little return from contestables,” Jackman said.
“Itโs big part of their game and every time he caught it, and did it with a minimum of fuss, you could just feel the Irish team growing around him.
“When youโre playing a team like the Boks who want to go after that area, and you feel that security behind you, itโs massive.
“It was Rob Kearney-esque, it was done with no fuss.”
As well as his aerial ability, Os๐๐จ๐ซ๐งe came up with a decisive defensive intervention early in the second half, when he stopped Kurt-Lee Arendse with a one-on-one tackle, after the Springbok wing had been put clear into the Irish half.
“That tackle was a very important tackle and a hard tackle to make. Heโd missed a tackle early in the game the previous week.
“You speak to any of the Leinster players, itโs hard to come in from the youths like he has, heโs not a talker as such, heโs quite shy as a kid, but he picks things up so quickly. To pick up international full-back play, in effectively two weeks, thatโs nearly unheard of. It’s so rare,” Jackman added.
At 6ft 4in and just under 15 stone, Os๐๐จ๐ซ๐งe has looked comfortable physically with the demands of professional rugby in his short career to date.
But Murphy added that as well as the physical stature, the 22-year-old is also has a high ‘Rugby IQ’.
“The only two people Iโve seen since Iโve been coaching schools and youths and club stuff that have picked up things and asked the right questions instantly are Sam [Prendergast] and Jamie [Os๐๐จ๐ซ๐งe].
“Itโs incredible. His character is ‘No Fussโ. You explain something to him and heโs like, โYeah OK, fineโ, and then he does it. Literally, to the millimetre of a step, itโs done exactly. Thatโs my experience with Jamie.
“People probably donโt know, he puts a huge amount of work into that off the pitch, from watching games, Iโd say he lives on Hudl [analysis software], in terms of all types of games, reviewing, previewing, heโs just an out-and-out student of the game.
“How he does things with no fuss, thatโs his character, and he just gets them done. Heโs a top class individual, and I don’t think anyone can underestimate the amount of work he puts in from a viewing rugby perspective, itโs off the charts and Iโve seen that firsthand,” Murphy added.