'He's a lot bigger than I thought he was... he's an athlete'

Owen Farrell has heaped praise on Jamie Osborne after the duo combined in the midfield during the British & Irish Lions’ nervy 24-19 victory over the First Nations and Pasifika XV in Melbourne.

While the Lions were pushed harder than at any point so far on their Australia tour, there were a number of individual positives, not least the performance of Osborne at outside centre, who scored the game’s opening try and looked game throughout.

Farrell, captaining the Lions for the first time in his four tours, started at inside centre and was effusive in his praise for the versatile Leinster back, who, like Farrell, was a late call-up to the Lions.

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“I loved it [playing with Osborne]. He’s been great since he’s come in,” said Farrell.

“He hit the ground running and got across the detail very quickly. Quicker than I did, I think.

“He’s been training at fullback, on the wing, and he slotted in at thirteen, no problem today and had to move around again today. And he knew every play out there, no problem.”

The 23-year-old Osborne has impressed the England legend with his adaptability across the backline.

Osborne’s first try came after he successfully chased down a perfectly weighted Farrell chip.

His second try, coming early in the second half after a flurry of passes from Farrell, Fin Smith and Blair Kinghorn, looked simple, but owed everything to timing, positioning and game understanding.

For Farrell, it’s not just Osborne’s smarts that have stood out – it’s his size.

“He’s a lot bigger than I thought he was,” Farrell admitted about the 6ft 4in, 98kg Irishman. “When he came into camp, he’s an athlete with a massive left boot on him and he runs great lines. Nothing but good things to say about him.”