JORDAN LARMOUR DOES not need to be reminded about what happened in Cardiff last year. It was a day when a stuttering Irish campaign ground to a complete halt, Wales completing their grand slam with a 25-7 victory. It’s no surprise to hear they are on a revenge mission this Saturday.
“We can we use that as a motivation, definitely,” Larmour said. “They gave us a good thumping, so we have that in the back of our heads. The fact is that when you lose by such a big score, you feel quite embarrassed.”
Embarrassment returned to Larmour on Saturday, when a second-half counter-attack turned from potential glory into near disaster, as he stepped into touch just when a pathway to the Scotland line seemed to be opening up. Worse again, the Scots eventually exploited his mistake by nailing a penalty from a subsequent attack. “Stepping into touch is never a good thing,” Larmour said.
“There were a few things going through my head. I thought it was going to be a two on one all the way down the wing, or I’ll kick it, and then see.
“Andrew (Conway) hit with me with the pass that Huw Jones kind of anticipated. Suddenly, it was getting really tight, so I tried to sneak around him. What I needed to do was kick it, not to step into touch. Had I done so, we would be talking about something else this week.”
Error aside, there wasn’t any red pen on his copybook when he handed up his homework – Andy Farrell and Mike Catt backing their player with his sense of adventure. “It’s something we’ve talked about as a squad with the coaches, about being unpredictable. So we have that freedom to have a go. If the opportunity arises, you’ve got to take it.”
Opportunities for Larmour have, until now, been fairly limited, given Rob Kearney’s longevity and consistency. But his international career now looks to be over, leaving Larmour free to compete with Will Addison for the No15 shirt.
“Anytime you get selected you grow a bit in confidence so you need those games to keep improving because that’s what ultimately makes you a better player,” the Leinster player said.
“When you get a run of games in a position, it definitely helps. Ultimately it’s down to playing in the same position, week in, week out. But you never take anything for granted. Even though Rob isn’t in this squad, there are different guys breathing down your neck. It’s up to you to keep playing well to keep your spot.”
