Latest news with #Osborne
New York Post
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Black Sabbath posts Ozzy Osbourne tribute after rocker's death at 76
Legendary rockers Black Sabbath posted their first comments on the death of former frontman and metal icon Ozzy Osborne. 'Ozzy Forever,' the British band wrote on Instagram, along with a photo of Osborne at its farewell final concert on July 5 in the singer's hometown of Birmingham. Legendary musician and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Ozzy Ozbourne has died at The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Osborne's family announced Tuesday that the 76-year-old 'Prince of Darkness' had died following a long battle with Parkinson's disease and other health issues. Black Sabbath burst onto the music scene in 1967 with Osborne on vocals, Tony Iommi on guitar, John 'Geezer' Butler on bass and Bill Ward on drums. Photo of Ozzy Ozbourne with his Black Sabbath band members Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, and Bill Ward. WireImage Osborne was fired by the band in 1979, but periodically reunited with his mates, most recently for the July 5 concert, during which he performed seated in a special throne due to his health.
RTÉ News
18 hours ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Andy Farrell: Lions need improvement for 'biggest game of our lives'
Andy Farrell says he will finalise his second Test selection on Wednesday, ahead of what he expects to be the "biggest game of our lives" against the Wallabies on Saturday. The British and Irish Lions limped over the line against an inspired First Nations and Pasifika XV at Marvel Stadium, with two tries from Jamie Osborne helping his side maintain their 100% record since arriving in Australia, on a 24-19 scoreline. The performance will have given the Lions coach food for thought ahead of the second Test at the MCG. Garry Ringrose returned from a concussion layoff and impressed in the centre, although the fact that he had to play 67 minutes due to an injury for Darcy Graham wasn't ideal, if Farrell had plans to use him again this weekend. Blair Kinghorn also played the full 80 minutes, having missed the last two games with a knee injury, and the full-back mixed the hot and cold, seeing two passes intercepted in the first half, before setting Osborne up for his second try. A second-row slot could also be opened up if Joe McCarthy fails to recover from his foot injury. The Leinster lock is yet to train this week, and if his position does become available, Scotland's Scott Cummings did his cause no harm this evening. Ahead of finalising his squad for could be a series-clinching clash against the Wallabies, Farrell is expecting to deliberate on some big calls in his final selection meeting. "There's all sorts that goes into it, some performances [were good], there's no doubt about that," he said after the narrow win. "But there's also what's right for this second game and what that presents and the make-up of the squad and how it feels. Are a few changes going to freshen it up or do we go with the same guys? "All that comes into the pot and it's whatever's best for the team that we think we need on a game like that at the MCG with over 90,000 people. It should be like, that shouldn't it? It should be challenging." Overall, it was a clunky performance from the Lions, who started brilliantly with tries from Osborne (below) and Darcy Graham helping them to race into a 14-0 advantage. However, that lead quickly evaporated as they went in 14-14 at half time, and while the tourists scored two tries, through Osborne and Duhan van der Merwe, to go 24-14 ahead entering the final quarter, they were left clinging on against a First Nations and Pasifika selection who refused to quit. Farrell was frustrated at how his side started to play the game like an "exhibition match" after that promising start. "We weren't earning the right to play," he said. "There's an allure of space that we thought was there and it wasn't there because we found space nice and early. "But we kept playing out the back and big wide passes and getting hit behind the gainline and making it tough for ourselves, especially when they were getting off the line and putting so many people through the rock. It's very hard to control the rock when you're going backwards. "We just needed to keep playing the game that's in front of us. At times the space wasn't there so we needed to do the right thing and play in the right parts of the field. We were our own worst enemy once or twice there but I thought we recovered pretty well." Attention now turns to wrapping up the Test series over at the MCG on Saturday (11am Irish time), the Lions looking to win with a game to spare for the first time in 28 years. And Farrell says the review of their 27-19 win against the Wallabies in Brisbane last weekend has thrown up several areas of potential improvement. "There will have to be plenty [of improvement] to get to the point where a win's on the cards because we know that Australia are going to be [improved]. "If you can't get up for what's coming, we're all in the wrong place. To me, this is the biggest game of our lives, every one of us that's part of our squad, so we'll make sure that we address the week like that."
The 42
a day ago
- Sport
- The 42
The call Jamie Osborne got from Andy Farrell in a Lisbon taxi
JAMIE OSBORNE WAS in a taxi in Lisbon at 11am two Thursdays ago when his phone buzzed. He saw Andy Farrell's name and immediately thought, 'This is probably good.' Also in the taxi with Osborne were Craig Casey, Cian Prendergast, Jack Crowley, and Darragh Murray. This quintet of Ireland internationals were on the way to the barbers for their pre-Portugal Test haircuts. The call came out of the blue. Farrell hadn't been onto Osborne before that to let him know something might be in the works. So the good news of his Lions call-up came as a surprise. 'The lads were probably celebrating more than myself,' said Osborne today in Melbourne as he recalled the scene in that Lisbon taxi. 'I think every player dreams of it. I probably didn't have much hopes for it after the initial squad announcement. I wasn't really thinking about it but it was amazing to get the call. 'I rang my mum straight away and she was delighted.' His parents had already booked a family holiday with Jamie's younger brothers, so they'll be watching on from Spain tomorrow as he makes his Lions debut at outside centre against the First Nations & Pasikifa XV in Melbourne [KO 11am Irish time, Sky Sports]. After the call from Farrell, Osborne had time to get back to Ireland camp, celebrate with the rest of his team-mates, and then he flew out to Australia the following day. Osborne arrived ahead of the first Test. Billy Stickland / INPHO Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO There were nerves arriving into Lions camp in Brisbane but the familiarity of so many faces from Ireland helped Osborne to settle in quickly. He has been rooming with Josh van der Flier – 'nice and chilled, doesn't snore, neat and tidy' – so all has been well off the pitch. Advertisement There is also lots of overlap between how Ireland play and how the Lions have set up, so even though there were different calls for Osborne to learn in Australia, he was able to hit the ground running on the pitch too. Osborne was one of the Lions' extra players for the first Test in Brisbane last weekend, doing the warm-up with Farrell's side and drinking in the atmosphere at Suncorp Stadium. Tomorrow, he dons the Lions jersey himself for the first time and is excited to be playing alongside skipper Owen Farrell in midfield. 'It's really cool,' said Osborne. 'You can see the leadership he brings around camp and the way he speaks, it's very impressive. When he speaks, everyone listens so hopefully it's going to be a good tomorrow night playing alongside him.' One of Osborne's friends from home, Mark Gorman, is living in Melbourne and they're hoping to catch up. They played together in Naas RFC when they were younger. There's huge pride in Naas about the latest leap in Osborne's impressive rise and he has had plenty of messages from home congratulating him and wishing him well. 'I don't know if I'm flying the flag,' said Osborne when it was suggested that he is now an inspiration for other young youths players. 'Tadhg [Furlong] has done that before me and I probably would have looked up to him and even Sean O'Brien. 'Hopefully, there's more people coming up through that system because there's definitely a lot of potential there.' Osborne will start at outside centre tomorrow. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO This Lions experience is the culmination of an interesting season for Osborne. Last summer, he started two Tests for Ireland at fullback against the Springboks and looked set to have a massive 2024/25 season. He has had an excellent campaign, featuring for Ireland in the November Tests and making two starts during this year's Six Nations, but he has also had to deal with being left out of Leinster's matchday 23 for their Champions Cup quarter-final and semi-final. The arrival of Jordie Barrett meant Osborne got squeezed out on those two occasions. Knowing that might be the case, he found Barrett signing for Leinster both exciting and an inconvenience. 'Definitely a bit of both,' said Osborne. 'There's a lot of competition with the Irish lads, and there's enough competition there that you're used to being around good players. You have to learn from them and you have to compete with them. There's no real choice. 'I really enjoy it. Jordie was obviously unbelievable to have in Leinster last year. He played so well in every game. Then you see what he did at the weekend when he came on for New Zealand. It's definitely important to learn from him. 'It was frustrating not to play in those Champions Cup games, but the campaign as a whole, I was happy with how it ended. I haven't really reflected too hard on it, but the general feeling is happy enough.' Rieko Ioane will come in next season to offer more competition in the outside backs, but Osborne is determined to enjoy this Lions adventure now. FIRST NATIONS & PASIFIKA XV: Andy Muirhead; Triston Reilly, Lalakai Foketi, David Feliuai, Filipo Daugunu; Kurtley Beale, Kalani Thomas; Lington Ieli, Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Taniela Tupou; Darcy Swain, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto; Seru Uru, Charlie Gamble, Tuaina Taii Tualima. Replacements: Richie Asiata, Marley Pearce, Mesake Doge, Mesake Vocevoce, Rob Leota, Harrison Goddard, Jack Debreczeni, Jarrah McLeod. LIONS: Blair Kinghorn; Darcy Graham, Jamie Osborne, Owen Farrell (captain), Duhan van der Merwe; Fin Smith, Ben White; Pierre Schoeman, Jamie George, Finlay Bealham; James Ryan, Scott Cummings; Jac Morgan, Josh van der Flier, Henry Pollock. Replacements: Ewan Ashman, Rory Sutherland, Tom Clarkson, Gregor Brown, Ben Earl, Alex Mitchell, Marcus Smith, Garry Ringrose Referee: Nika Amashukeli [GRU].
Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Jamie Osborne on Lions call: 'I was in a taxi. We were actually all going to a barber'
It was only 12 days ago that Jamie Osborne was sharing a cab with his Ireland team-mates on a trip to Lisbon barbers when his mobile started buzzing. On Tuesday the centre with eight international caps will pull on the famous red jersey and become a British & Irish Lion, lining up in midfield alongside Owen Farrell and kicking off against the First Nations & Pasifika XV at Marvel Stadium. The phone call that changed the 24-year-old's rugby life was from Andy Farrell and it came in the company of Craig Casey, Jack Crowley, Darragh Murray and Cian Prendergast. Full-back Blair Kinghorn's knee injury against the Brumbies meant the versatile back was required in Australia and now the pair will line up together in the same backline. 'I think every player dreams of it,' Osborne said in Melbourne, a week after linking up with the Lions in Brisbane. 'I probably didn't have much hopes for it after the initial squad announcement. I wasn't really thinking about it but it was amazing to get the call. 'It was out of the blue. I was just in Lisbon and I got a phone call on Thursday at 11 o'clock and saw his name and thought: 'This is probably good'. 'I was in a taxi. We were actually all going to a barber. There was five of us there so it was good fun. The lads were probably celebrating more than myself. Yeah, it was class.' Nearly two weeks on from that call and the Leinster centre is still on cloud nine having immersed himself into the Lions tour experience, helping to prepare the first Test team prepare for last Saturday's series opener against the Wallabies. 'You're definitely nervous but I think it gets a little easier the older you get but it definitely helped that there's a lot of Irish players and Leinster players in camp, and the coaching staff, most of whom I've worked with before. 'That definitely helps and I would say that I was less nervous than maybe a few of the Scottish lads who have come in recently.' Osborne's versatility in his ability to cover 12 and 13, both wings and full-back has not gone unnoticed and the Naas RFC man has learned to see that adaptability as a positive rather than the alternative. "Wherever it's needed, I'll give it a go. It can feel like a good thing when you're getting picked, and it can feel like a bad thing when you're not. "I suppose it's about turning it into a strength rather than a weakness, and if the time comes when I'm finding myself settling in a position, so be it. "I can really go for that, but at the moment, the versatility is probably a factor as to why I'm here. You can't knock it'. It is no surprise to learn Osborne is determined to enjoy the game against First Nations and Pasifika, armed with the sort of confidence garnered only by having played successful Test rugby with Ireland, beginning last summer with a dream Test debut against the Springboks as Farrell's full-back. 'The week in general, obviously I was probably most nervous I've been that week just because of the occasion. I hadn't played that position in a while. "But when you come through that, definitely you get a bit more confidence. Obviously the following week went well as well, so that probably gave me more confidence. 'Everyone wants to put their best foot forward and win in a Lions jersey, never mind just playing in it. "I want to play to the best of my ability, enjoy it as well. You won't enjoy it as much if you don't play to play as well."
Irish Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Ireland will big winners as two of their rookies chosen for Lions midweek clash
Nobody in world rugby has 'travelled' as far as Jamie Osborne and Thomas Clarkson this season. Osborne, finished the 2023/24 season with 39 starts and a further nine games as a sub at Leinster and having scored five tries. He had yet to be capped by Ireland. Clarkson, finished last season having tallied 19 starts and a further 22 games as a sub at Leinster and having scored two tries. He had yet to be capped by Ireland. This season, the first mentioned 23 year-old has added a further 15 club starts, two more as a sub, adding eight tries and, having made his Ireland debut, earned eight caps. The second-named 25 year-old has added a further 11 club starts, seven more as a sub, scored eight tries, adding two tries and, having made his Ireland debut, also earned eight caps. And as if that wasn't 'far' enough both have spent the last few weeks traversing the globe following initially going on tour with Ireland but getting called up by the British and Irish Lions. Osborne has travelled 19,800kms Dublin-Tbilisi-Brisbane-Melbourne. And that's not quite matching Clarkson's 26,250kms Dublin-Tbilisi-Lisbon-Melbourne jaunt. They are both in the same place now though and, in something of a surprise twist, have been chosen for the British and Irish Lions against a First Nations & Pasifika XV at Melbourne's Marvel stadium (11am Irish time, today). It has been a jump from a national squad to an inter-national squad and Osborne is willing to accept it's a fantastic opportunity. British & Irish Lions Gym Session, Anglican Church Grammar School, Brisbane - Thomas Clarkson (Image: ©INPHO/Billy Stickland) 'Yeah, I suppose when you're in the squad with people with a lot more experience, you're probably looking to learn off them a lot. You're looking up to them, you're asking more questions. "Whereas, maybe in the Ireland environment, I've been there a couple of years now. "So (with the Summer Tour) it was probably about passing on a bit more knowledge than I would if so many players hadn't been away." It is interesting to that Osborne has been called up to play for the Lions at no13 with Garry Ringrose being asked to sit on the bench. This could be that Farrell is not fully convinced about Ringrose recovery from injury or, more likely, that he doesn't want to overwork the player as he is in mind for the Second Test matchday squad. There was also the option to start Osborne at full-back which would have allowed Blair Kinghorn ease his way back from injury via playing on the wing first. 'I suppose, defensively, as a no13, you're probably a bit of a defensive leader in the team," says Osborne who owns up to marginally preferring playing in the centre. "You look at Garry, what he does for whatever team he's involved with these days, he's really, I suppose, combative and he leads the line. 'It's probably different from, say, being a full-back. You're close to the ball as well. "There's that little bit around where you're scanning, you're talking to the ten and stuff like that. So there are differences, but I'm enjoying each position. I'm ready." The young Leinster star has been involved in a lot of games this season but playing for the Lions is yet another level up. 'It was obviously challenging but I really enjoyed the challenge. "The more big games you play, the more you want to play in the big games, if you know what I mean. "Once you get a first taste of a really big game, you do anything you can to get back in there and you learn a lot from the preparation in the week and you learn a lot from those games so I really enjoyed them. "I suppose it probably builds you as a player as you're going along and getting those experiences. "I think you definitely get a bit more confidence in your abilities once you're able to perform in those games." But then Jamie's rugby career seems to be one challenge following another. Last season he had to contend with Jordie Barratt being parachuted into Leinster for seven months, December to July, and having to fight for his spot. Barrett may have returned to New Zealand but Leinster have seen fit to sign Rieko Ioane on a similar deal to Barrett. 'I'd say there's a lot of players in Leinster who are probably feeling similar (about their place) because obviously Rieko's played in a lot of different jerseys and he's obviously spent time no13 recently. "He's also played a lot in the wing, so there's probably a lot of us in Leinster who are eager to see what he's like. "I'm looking forward to the challenge of trying to maybe compete with him in training and also be his teammate on the pitch" Clarkson has had something of a similar fight on his hands to get first team game time at Leinster as he has theoretically been 'blocked' by another foreign import, French star Rabah Slimani. Yet his call up, along with Osborne, to the Lions suggests two players who simply improved by virtue of watching, learning and competing. Ireland are surely going to end up major winners here. First Nations & Pasifika XV v The British & Irish Lions, Marvel Stadium, Melbourne, Tuesday 22nd July, 2025, KO: 11:00 BST 15. Blair Kinghorn (Toulouse/Scotland) #882 14. Darcy Graham (Edinburgh Rugby/Scotland) 13. Jamie Osborne (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) 12. Owen Farrell (Saracens/England) #780 (c) 11. Duhan van der Merwe (Edinburgh Rugby/Scotland) #841 10. Fin Smith (Northampton Saints/England) #862 9. Ben White (Toulon/Scotland) #883 1. Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh Rugby/Scotland) #868 2. Jamie George (Saracens/England) #819 3. Finlay Bealham (Connacht Rugby/Ireland) #856 4. James Ryan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) #880 5. Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors/ Scotland) #869 6. Jac Morgan (Ospreys/Wales) #861 7. Josh van der Flier (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) #874 8. Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints/England) #865 Replacements: 16. Ewan Ashman (Edinburgh Rugby/Scotland) 17. Rory Sutherland (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland) #840 18. Tom Clarkson (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) 19. Gregor Brown (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland) 20. Ben Earl (Saracens/England) #857 21. Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints/England) #860 22. Marcus Smith (Harlequins/ England) #855 23. Garry Ringrose (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) #872 Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts.
