Ireland full-back Jordan Larmour was just a few metres short of breaking the all-time record for metres made by a tier 1 player.
Opta Sports, an international sports analytics company based in the United Kingdom, claimed that Larmour trailed only New Zealand utility back Israel Dagg for the most metres ever made in a single game by a Tier 1 player.
The 21-year-old prodigy scored three tries, provided an assist for Luke McGrath, gained 245 metres and beat 12 defenders in what was one of the best individual performances we’ve seen for some time.
245 – @IrishRugby's Jordan Larmour made 245 metres against Italy, the second highest gain by a tier one player in a Test match since Opta have recorded this data (Israel Dagg – 252m v Wales in June 2016). Electric. ☘️🔥 pic.twitter.com/r0ChwgYVdV
— OptaJonny (@OptaJonny) November 5, 2018
It was Larmour’s first start for Ireland and there is increasing calls for him to take over from incumbent full-back Rob Kearney for the Argentina and New Zealand tests this month.
Former Ireland international Andrew Trimble, who played with Kearney for 10 years with Ireland, predicts that Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt will stick with the former Lions full-back and that he will place a lot more emphasis on the finer details of the position than the more obvious highlight plays.
“He’s closer than ever but it’s still not that close I don’t think,” said Trimble on the latest episode of Baz and Andrew’s House of Rugby.
“He could go a great job against the All Blacks but he might not be able to do a Rob Kearney job. I think it’s still a big step up. You can’t compare playing a second-string Italy side in Chicago to the All Blacks in the Aviva. It’s not the same thing.
“But he’s done everything he can possibly do to climb the ladder and be as good as he possibly can be but still Joe likes Rob Kearney. Joe likes somebody where he knows what he’s going to get.
