Larmour is sidestepping into the limelight
Ireland’s full-back is starting to show what the hype was all about, writes Tom Cary
Jordan Larmour was supposed to be the jet-heeled jewel in Ireland’s crown at the World Cup. When he burst on to the scene in the winter of 2017-18, the hype surrounding the Leinster academy graduate was remarkable.
A 70-metre sidestepping score against Munster on St Stephen’s Day 2017 was one of a number of spectacular solo raids that sent social media into meltdown, prompting comparisons with legendary figures such as Jason Robinson and Christian Cullen.
By March of that season Larmour was playing for Ireland. And the hits kept on coming. There was that one-handed scoop pick-up against Scarlets, off his own kick upfield, which prompted teammate Garry Ringrose to describe him as a “freak of nature”, while a sensational hat-trick against Italy in Chicago in the autumn of 2018 confirmed Larmour as a bona fide international star. Here was the counter-attacking threat Ireland had lacked when Rob Kearney played, for all that the British and Irish Lion had the safest hands in the northern hemisphere.
We all know what happened next. The nearer it got to the World Cup, the more conservative Ireland became and the more Joe Schmidt placed his faith in the players who had got Ireland to No1 in the world in the first place.
Larmour ended up being a bit-part player in Japan. He actually played most of the quarter-final against New Zealand, coming on as an injury replacement twice in the first half and then replacing Kearney in the second, and was one of Ireland’s better performers. But there was always the sense that he would only really get his chance once the World Cup was over, once Ireland could start to build again. And so it has proved – and what a difference he has made.
Although Ireland struggled for cohesion against Scotland, there were early signs that Larmour, with the licence to run the ball back, offered something totally different.
Involved in a ruck on the left touchline, he suddenly appeared on Johnny Sexton’s shoulder out on the right wing, accelerating through a gap and offloading to Conor Murray. “It didn’t come to anything but Ireland made 40 metres just because of his hard work and being able to identify and outwork the opposition,” noted Brian O’driscoll in the Off The Ball podcast.
The following weekend, with Ireland now in far more confident mood against Wales, Larmour was a joy to watch, whether it was stepping inside Nick Tompkins to score his seventh try for his country or running the ball back into heavy traffic. “Even when he runs down a blind alley he has got good fight,” O’driscoll added approvingly. “He might look small in stature but he’s bulky. You look at some small players – Cheslin Kolbe comes to mind – small in stature but incredibly explosive. Jordan is of that ilk. He’s a very, very capable fighter in contact. And when he does get it right…”
With the new coaching team of Andy Farrell and Mike Catt encouraging a less structured, more reactive attacking game, this could be Larmour’s time, the spark of genius alongside Jacob Stockdale and Andrew Conway.
After the Wales game, when the comparison with Robinson was made again, Larmour, who was still in primary school when Robinson called time on his international career, admitted he had studied videos of the former rugby league great. “You can learn a lot from watching him,” he said. “His ability, footwork and speed – it’s definitely something I’d love to try to bring into my game.”
Farrell, anxious not to let the hype get out of control, pointed out that Larmour was still young and still learning. “He frightened me at times,” he said. “But that’s what he does. He actually doesn’t know what he’s doing with his own feet, does he? I mean, they’re crazy, his feet.”
Farrell could not completely keep the lid on his excitement, though. “Jason and Jordan have got similar type of feet,” he allowed. “The way that Jordan broke those tackles for the try – he has similar type of strength. Super exciting.”
England, with Jonathan Joseph starting on the wing for the first time in an international, will need to keep a very close eye on Larmour tomorrow.