UYRUFC winger Conan Osborne has been selected to represent the Jamaican international team.
The 20-year-old Politics student will play for the Caribbean island in the Stepping Stones North American & Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) Rugby Sevens tournament. The series will act as a qualifier for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, the CASCO Games in Mexico and the HSBC World Sevens Series.
Conan, who has never trained, let alone played, for the Caribbean outfit, will fly out to Grand Cayman to meet the squad, just one day before the tournament begins.
Kent-born Conan said: “The whole thing still seems quite surreal as it’s happened quite suddenly. It’s really good to get international honours and I’m very excited about flying out to Grand Cayman.
“While the rest of the Jamaican team know each other and have been training together, it was too expensive for me to join them. Instead, the head coach has been sending me videos of set plays and kept me updated about the focus of training.
“I wasn’t sure I would be able to make it to the Cayman Islands and there was talk of me joining the team at the Commonwealth Games stage. However, sponsorship from the University of York and Tactical Enterprise Ltd, providers of VIP protection, has made it possible to join the team now, which is fantastic.”
Conan qualifies to play for Jamaica through his grandparents on his father’s side, though he admits that he has only visited the island once before.
The Jamaican national team, ranked 82nd in the latest IRB World Rankings, are hoping to qualify by being the strongest Caribbean side, a feat they achieved last year, although they will face stiff competition from the USA, Canada and Mexico to win the NACRA series.
Conan, who scored a brace against Lancaster in last season’s Roses curtain-raiser at the Huntington Stadium, also plays for the Marauders Academy on the Elite Sevens circuit, and has previously turned down the opportunity to play on a semi-professional basis.
The Politics with International Relations undergraduate plans to go into banking once he has completed his studies, although a year out playing rugby in Australia may also be on the cards.
I watched him play 3 games so far this season, average at best
You know Derwent Rugby’s Kristian Elgheim plays for Norway regulary yet that seems to have slipped under the radar. But I suppose Conan is more important because he plays UYRUFC.
As the captain of Derwent Rugby, I can confirm that Kristian does indeed regularly play for Norway. However, he isn’t as good as me or else he would be the captain.
As the former Derwent Rugby captain, and current Uni 1’s player, I can confidently say that I have played with both of these players. It is my honest opinion that they are of the exact same level of ability, with no distinguishing features other than the fact that they both play rugby for equally obscure nations. Also, chicken.
I have played rugby for both my school and college.
I am better than all these guys.
I do not even play rugby. I just like to hang around pitches and pretend to be involved.
I am Derwent rugby president. I’m not good enough to get in the starting team so now I work at sports direct every Saturday and Sunday so I have an excuse when I don’t get picked.
Judge, are you in the Uni 1’s? Did not know that!
I play Rugby and go out on wednesdays and act like I own Salvation. I play rugby therefore I am the biggest legend on Campus.