LARMOUR ON VERGE OF GREEN CARD

THERE is plenty of excitement around Leinster HQ ahead of Joe Schmidt’s Ireland squad announcement today, and the name of everyone’s lips is Jordan Larmour (left). The versatile 20-yearold has been in stunning form for the province over the past few weeks, and is tipped to be included in the 35man squad named today, despite having yet to be capped at international level. Speaking yesterday, Robbie Henshaw admitted that he hopes to see his Leinster teammate make the cut when the squad is released, while backs coach Girvan Dempsey explained just what makes the young Dubliner such an exciting prospect. ‘I think he’s not far off [making the squad],’ said Henshaw. ‘I think his performances have been incredible, so yeah, I’ll be looking for his name.’ Dempsey added: ‘He’s certainly putting his hand up for selection which is all you can ask. ‘He is a really exciting player to have in the squad at the moment. He brings such energy. ‘He is the last one to leave the field and he bounds out onto the field. He works so hard on the game, does a huge amount of work on his ball skills. He goes through video work with us on his positional play. ‘His ball-in-hand skills are excellent. The speed and accuracy of his passing is excellent. ‘He is constantly learning. He has shown that he’s not phased by big occasions which has been a real asset. ‘Sometimes you get a young player who is on the scene and he’s got that exuberance and he’s daunted by the occasion. ‘But Jordan hasn’t been fazed and he’s got a really good grounding. ‘Whether he is selected for higher honours, it is ultimately up to the other coaches to decide that. ‘We’re just pleased with how much he’s progressing and how much he’s learned over the last while and how eager he is to improve even more.’