Jamie Osborne out, 2 other Irish Lions stars fighting to prove fitness

Ireland’s Jamie Osborne has been ruled out of Saturday’s Autumn international against Australia in Dublin after sustaining a shoulder injury in the weekend win against Japan.

The Leinster back, who started at full-back on Saturday and in the previous week’s defeat to the All Blacks in Chicago, was forced off in the second half of Saturday’s 41-10 win.

The 23-year-old, who had covered for first-choice full-back Hugo Keenan, will also miss the November 22 clash with world champions South Africa in Dublin.

Centre Garry Ringrose and Leinster team-mate Josh van der Flier are both hoping to prove their fitness after respective hamstring strains kept them out against Japan.

Head coach Andy Farrell will announce his squad on Thursday, while wing Mack Hansen (foot) and centre Stuart McCloskey (adductor) have both linked back up with the squad.

Farrell made eight changes against Japan at the weekend and will be hoping his side can build further momentum after the New Zealand defeat with victory over Australia.

The Wallabies are bidding to bounce back from successive defeats. They were surprisingly beaten 26-19 by Italy in Udine on Saturday and lost 25-7 to England at the Allianz Stadium the previous week.

“It doesn’t look good, poor lad – you could see by the way he was holding his arm,” said Farrell about Osborne’s injury on Saturday after the Japan game. “I thought he might have broken something. But it’s the shoulder, we think, that was out of place and back in place now. But to know that for sure we’ll have to get a look at that.”