Career
At the height of his international career he "Went North", switching to professional rugby league and represented both Huddersfield and Hull
Osborne played his amateur rugby for valley club Mountain Ash. He was a collier by profession before becoming a police officer, and at 5-foot 11½ inches and weighing over 13 stone, typified the "Rhondda forward" physique favoured by the Welsh selectors around the turn of the century. Osborne was first selected to play for the Welsh national team when he was selected to face England in the opening match of the 1902 Home Nations Championship.
Osborne was one of seven new caps, four of whom joined Osborne in a much changed pack.
Although lacking international experience many of the players winning their first caps that day went on to form the nucleus of the Wales team that beat The Original All Blacks in 1905, including Arthur Harding, Will Joseph and fellow collier Dai "Tarw" Jones. Osborne was then reselected to face Scotland in the second game of the series, played on Welsh home soil at the Cardiff Arms Park.
The Scottish Rugby Union stated that they would refuse to face Wales if Osborne played, as there were rumours that he had accepted and signed a professional contract with a rugby league team This was illegal under rugby union rules, which was a purely amateur sport.
Osborne was forced to make a full statement denying the claim, and the match went ahead with Osborne in the Welsh pack.
The only change to the Welsh team from the previous match was Harry Jones coming in for Lanelli"s Nathaniel Walters, and the more fluent Welsh play resulted in a victory over a very gifted Scottish team Osborne was reselected for the next season"s Championship, playing in all three Wales games. This would be Osborne"s only international defeat as Wales beat Ireland in his sixth and final Welsh international on 14 March 1903.
He made his debut on 5 September and by October 1906 he had transferred to Hull.
Osborne gave up his professional playing by 1912, when he moved home to Oakengates, Shropshire, where he worked as a miner. He was also trainer at local association football club Wellington Street Georges.
He died at his home, 53 The Nabb, Oakengates, on 24 March 1942, aged sixty-six, and was buried at the parish church of Street George"son Wales
England 1902, 1903
Ireland 1902, 1903
Scotland 1902, 1903.
