Jamie Osborne may have a preferred position, but don't expect him to tell you what it is.
The 24-year-old is routinely asked whether he sees his long-term future at centre or full-back – or even on the wing – but his answer remains the same.
"It's obviously a cliche, but wherever you get played, that's where I'll play," he says, diplomatically.
For now, he'll make hay while the sun shines.
Aside from a few in-game switches, he’s played all of his rugby this season in the 15 shirt. Hugo Keenan’s hip surgery left a gap at full-back for both Leinster and Ireland, and had it not been for a shoulder injury of his own, Osborne would have featured a lot more than his seven appearances across the URC and internationals.
As much as we would love to hear where he feels he’s at his best, we can expect to see him in the backfield rather than midfield for the remainder of this Six Nations,
With that in mind, what are the aspects of playing full-back he believes suit his game?
"I think the aerial and kicking game," Osborne (below) answers.
"It's a big part of the game at the moment and there's a lot of contests and I think we, as a back three, have been really going after that in the Six Nations. I think the progress from the first week in Paris to Twickenham has been really good in that area.
"I think that kind of suits my game. And I think just being able to have a bit of freedom to work in the attack, just work around and offer an extra set of hands as well.
"I think it's helpful, definitely, stacking games on games because you get a bit more used to the role, a bit more confidence week on week.
"Anything that you need to work on from the previous week, you're able to implement that. So it obviously makes things a bit easier, I’d say."
As a collective, Ireland’s aerial game has been inconsistent in recent months, particularly as the game has started to hinge on so many high and contestable kicks.
Against France, they were cleaned out in the air, but in their hammering of Australia last November and in their two most recent Six Nations outings against Italy and England, the ability to win back, or at the very least disrupt contestable kicks has been a positive.
On the right wing, Rob Baloucoune’s high fielding has been a welcome addition to the side, while Osborne and Tommy O’Brien had crucial catches that led to scores at Twickenham just over a week ago.
And the full-back says there is a large body of work that goes into it.
"We've been coached and been trying to always go as if you were going to catch it clean. When you get your position right and your timing right and you get up there and at the last second, you know you won't be able to catch it, I think there's a chance for you to change and slap it.
"But I'd say it's probably harder to do the other way. If you're going up to slap it and then you realise, 'Oh, I could catch it cleanly,’ it's really harder to change what you're going to do.
"So our mindset has been to try and win the balls cleanly, but with the contests now, it's just as important to create some sort of scrap and hopefully we can win that as well.
"Having Brian [Fenton] in last year… I actually wasn't in that week when he was in but a few of the lads loved working with him those couple of days. I think they got a lot out of it. I think there was a bit about getting their knee up, being aggressive in the air, and a lot of the coaching points from that, we still take to this day.
"I think it's important to look at other players in different sports that are obviously good. It's not just GAA. If you look at Aussie rules, there's been Aussie rules coaches in and around before," he added.
As the Kildare native previously mentioned, the freedom to pick a running lane in attack is another tick in the full-back box, and it’s something Osborne has proved effective at, with tries against both Italy and England where he stepped into the attacking line at the perfect moment, scoring tries in each game.
"You're just looking for what their defence is doing, space… the spacings of their defence or density of numbers really.
"We're a team that wants to play the space and I think we as a back line were pretty good in Twickenham in terms of getting the ball and especially on those transitions where it comes off a kick, the defence is a bit disorganised compared to maybe other parts of the game.
"I think Goody [Andrew Goodman] and Faz [Farrell] would always talk about ‘staying in the play’ and making sure that we can take those opportunities."
The Round 3 win at Twickenham was Osborne’s 13th cap for Ireland, with the 42-21 win neck-and-neck alongside the second Test against South Africa in 2024 for his favourite memory in an Irish short to date.
Friday’s opponents Wales might not rank with the Springboks or England on current form, but a win is no less important for Andy Farrell’s side as they look to build momentum after their return to form.
"I think getting that against England, you know, everyone feels a bit better about themselves coming into even last week’s training and this week. But I think it's important not to get too far ahead of ourselves because, as I said, the first game in France didn’t go well and you know, two games later, it doesn't mean we're a completely different team.
"We're a much better team but I just think it's building" Osborne says.
