Osborne eager to make his mark as Leinster begin new campaign

Following a 2025/26 campaign where he found it difficult to get consistent opportunities in the blue jersey, Naas’ Andrew Osborne is determined to leave a lasting impression with Leinster in the weeks and months ahead.

After making a brace of appearances in the latter stages of the previous season, Osborne went on to enjoy 11 outings for the eastern province in 2024/25 – nine of them as a starter. While last term did see him making high-profile cameos off the bench against Munster, Connacht and La Rochelle, the intense competition for places amongst the back-three meant he only added eight games to his overall caps tally for the Blues.

Yet his presence on a virtual media call from South Africa earlier this week ahead of Leinster’s United Rugby Championship opener against the Lions on Saturday at Ellis Park in Johannesburg suggests he will get an early chance to establish himself in the new season.

“I was kind of in and out of the team a bit more last season, so I'm pushing myself now to get into as many matchday squads as I can. I want to be playing at the business end of the season in those big games as much as possible,” Osborne acknowledged.

“I'm really excited to get back playing competitively. It has been a while. I think the last time was near the end of last season. The first two games we had in pre-season were really enjoyable. Had a good trip over in Lyon.

“We bonded pretty well as a group and then I thought that showed into the second game against Zebre in the Laya Arena when we came back. We put in a good performance and got a good result. Very excited to start the season properly.” 

Despite still only being 23 years of age, Osborne is currently in the midst of his fourth mini tour of South Africa with Leinster. After making just his second senior appearance for Leinster away to the Lions in April 2024, Osborne was back in the southern hemisphere nation during March of the following year for back-to-back duels with the Bulls and the Sharks.

Having missed out on last season’s chastening opening round reversal to the Stormers, Osborne then featured from the start in an improved Leinster performance against the Bulls on October 4, 2025 at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria. He and the remainder of the Leinster squad will be hoping for a bright start to the new campaign, but that could be easier said than done.

Last month saw the Lions taking on New Zealand in a midweek game as part of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series between South Africa and the All Blacks. Dave Rennie’s international side fought hard to earn a 41-35 victory over the Lions in Ellis Park and this is more than enough to keep Leinster on their toes ahead of this weekend.

“We know how good the Lions are at home. They only lost one game last season and we saw recently they went toe-to-toe with the All Blacks in the series there. We know how big the challenge is, but we're excited to put our best foot forward and try and get a result.” Within the 41-man travelling squad that made the journey over to South Africa for their bouts with the Lions and the Sharks, Osborne was also joined by his brother Jamie. In addition to having 77 Leinster appearances under his belt, the elder Osborne has also accumulated 18 senior caps in the green of Ireland.

His versatility amongst the back line has helped him to become a valued asset for both Leo Cullen and Andy Farrell, but Andrew is also capable of playing on either wing or at full-back – as he did last year across his fourth starts for the province in the URC.

Given the similar pathways they enjoyed to the professional game – Naas RFC and Naas CBS at club and schools level respectively – there have often been comparisons made between the Osborne brothers.

However, as Andrew illustrated, there are also certain attributes that help to set them apart.

“Jamie's probably slightly bigger than me. I'd say I'll probably take the pace from him. His good features would be his ball-playing ability and his size and his carrying ability.

“So I try and learn off him and bring that into my game, but also use my uniqueness of trying to beat players with a short kicking game. We're similar, but different.” Meanwhile, away from the cut and thrust of professional rugby, Osborne has been keeping himself occupied in recent times with a new-found sporting hobby and some college work.

“Getting into a bit of golf over the last few years. It's not gone as best I can! Then I'm also still studying in UCD. Doing economics, information communications,” Osborne added.

“I'm trying to finish off that degree. So in my spare time I'm trying to catch up on as much college and stuff as I can. I'm into my third year now, so probably a year or two left. Depending on how I go.” 

Although it is important to keep a foot in another industry given how precarious professional sport can be, Osborne will nonetheless be hoping this season sees him becoming a more regular presence within the Leinster set-up. A big performance this weekend could go a long way towards him achieving that goal.