Larmour living dream after a year to celebrate
IT SAYS much about the current rude health of the Leinster squad that despite a blistering start to his senior career, Jordan Larmour is somewhat still managing to slip under the radar. The 20-year-old clocked up just 16 minutes over the course of the province’s back-to-back Champions Cup defeats of Exeter this month, despite heading into the crunch fixtures as the Blues’ leading man in terms of beaten defenders (24), clean breaks (11) and metres made (528) in the Pro14 this season. Those numbers are all the more impressive given he has started just five games in the competition since making his debut against Dragons in September. Big things have been expected of Larmour since he starred for Ireland in the Under 20s Six Nations last season, but few could have anticipated just how quickly he would adapt to senior level with Leo Cullen’s squad. ‘Yeah it’s been good,’ he says. ‘It’s tough coming from U20s into a set-up like this. Everything is more intense, training, meetings, gym work, pitch work. But I’ve really enjoyed it. ‘The environment in here is top notch. Everyone is here to work for each other and work hard for each other. It’s a very honest group. You step out of line or you make mistakes [then] someone lets you know about it. They do it in a nice way, a productive way. I’m loving it so far.’ A product of St Andrew’s College, Larmour looks set to play a more prominent part for Leinster over the course of their three festive inter-provincial derbies, and he admits that getting to line out alongside some of his childhood heroes still feels surreal. ‘I grew up watching Johnny Sexton, Brian O’Driscoll, Rob Kearney, Isa Nacewa, and I always wanted to do what they were doing and now I have the opportunity to do it,’ he continues. ‘Isa has been very helpful, Rob Kearney has been very good on the pitch. Taking to him about positioning and what he would do in certain situations and Joey [Carberry] as well, just trying to pick his brains and learn from him. He’s been around for a while and he really knows his stuff. He’s really helpful. ‘The coaches, if I need anything I go up to Girv [Girvan Dempsey], go through the video, chats with Leo where I’m going, what I can improve on. It’s a good environment to learn because everyone is willing to help.’ And Larmour also believes that his experience with
the Ireland U20s helped give him a solid foundation to make the step up to a dressing room that contains some of the biggest names in rugby. ‘I suppose the coaching and training you get at U20 level helps you, it kicks you on when you are coming to here. ‘The U20 Leinster and Irish set-ups are really good. So it makes the transition a bit easier but still you see a bit of a jump when you come here, which is kind of natural.’ This week, the focus is the St Stephen’s Day clash with Munster at Thomond Park, and as Larmour looks to build a hugely promising start to the season, he recalls the classic Leinster v Munster moment that put the wheels in motion on his remarkable rise. ‘The one that stands out to me was in the Heineken Cup [in 2009], when BOD got the interception from [Ronan] O’Gara. I was there with my friends, and when I saw that I knew “that’s what I wanted to do”.’ So far, it’s all going to plan.