Larmour focusing on Leinster silverware hunt despite Ireland hiatus
Despite a summer tour to New Zealand looming large on the horizon, Jordan Larmour’s focus for now is on accruing further silverware in the blue of Leinster.
While the Dubliner has already picked up 30 senior international caps, his most recent appearance for Ireland was a short cameo against England in the final round of the 2021 Six Nations Championship. A combination of injuries and a drop down the pecking order has kept him out of Andy Farrell’s match day squads for the past 15 months and a part of him will be eager to force himself back into his plans.
Nonetheless, with five major titles to his name at provincial level, he is viewing Saturday’s United Rugby Championship semi-final with the Bulls at the RDS as another step on the road towards a sixth success.
“It’s definitely in the back of my mind [New Zealand tour]. Everyone would love to be on the plane, but for me at the moment I think it’s just important I focus on this week and playing well in training. Put my hand up for selection and hopefully get selected this weekend,” Larmour explained.
“That’s where all my focus is. I’m not looking too far ahead of this weekend because I want to be playing and playing well so all of my focus is on that now.” Although Larmour started and completed Leinster’s Champions Cup finals in 2018 and 2019, the province’s showdown with La Rochelle in Marseille last Saturday week was an entirely different experience for the St Andrew’s College graduate.
He did his utmost to put his hand up for selection with an impressive display against Munster in the URC seven days earlier, but ultimately missed out on a spot in Leo Cullen’s match day 23.
“It was always in the back of my head I might not get selected. Some lads had been playing really well all season. You can only pick a 23 and there are so many lads playing so well. I would have loved to have been involved but that’s the way it went,” Larmour said.
“I can understand why so I kind of just took that one on the chin and then focused on that next week, getting back into training and trying to put my hand up. I’d just come back from a 10-week injury. I’d only played one game, so I probably didn’t have much of an argument. Leo is very good at explaining why you’re not playing or why you’re not getting selected.
“We all know he can only pick 23 for a match day squad. There’s so much competition and lads are playing well so it is tough, but it’s important you don’t dwell on it. You might use that disappointment or frustration to kind of fire you up and kick you on.
“The last few weeks I’ve just been focusing on getting back training and trying to get back up to speed with all of the lads. I kind of just said I would come back training at full speed and that was my game plan really.” Injuries to Hugo Keenan and James Lowe saw Larmour being restored to the starting line-up for last Saturday’s URC quarter-final showdown with Glasgow Warriors and he served a reminder of his quality with a brace of tries in a 76-14 demolition of the Scots at the RDS.
Keenan is set to be available for selection against the Bulls in the same venue, but with some doubts still surrounding Lowe in the build-up to the game, Larmour may well get another chance to show his worth.
Returning to the topic of his future Ireland prospects, Larmour is fully aware that delivering another performance akin to the one against Glasgow will make securing a spot on the plane to New Zealand that bit more feasible.
“I think you’ve got to be playing well for Leinster in order to get into the Irish team, so that’s where all my focus is. Trying to play well for Leinster and just keep putting up my hand. Everything else is out of my control, but I can focus on my performance and where I can grow and get better,” Larmour added.