Leinster swept Scarlets aside over the weekend with a 38-16 victory to book their place in the Champions Cup final next month where they'll meet the side who dumped Munster out of the competition on Sunday, Racing 92.
Despite the great win, there were always going to be some focus on the parts of the game that didn't go their way, such is the level of execution expected from both Leinster and Ireland's management teams, but also from the players on the field.
One player who leads that demanding culture for both sides is Johnny Sexton, who gave Jordan Larmour an on-field dressing down following the 21-year-old winger's decision to call for a blindside pass despite being covered by numerous defenders, while an overload of attacking players were left unused on the other side of the field.
Speaking to OTB AM this morning, Brian O'Driscoll lauded Sexton's commitment to demanding that his levels of expectation to reached, regardless of Larmour's age or inexperience, and said he believed it to be a mistake the young star will learn from, adding that knowledge and experience to his natural talent and attacking flair.
"Johnny's brilliant at keeping tabs on everyone. You see the comments after the game talking about Jordan Larmour and the rollicking he gave him when he called the ball to himself on the blindside when there were six Scarlets defenders on that right-hand side and there was a clear overlap on the other. He really let him knew about it".
"It's a warning, it's a warning shot. When Larmour does get the ball nobody knows what he's doing, he doesn't even know know himself, but that footwork is crazy. That's why he's actually a little bit better at fullback, because he gets more of an opportunity to showcase it. I think space didn't really open up for him at the weekend, but once or twice he created something from nothing in traffic".
Sexton's comments about the breakdown of that attacking opportunity during the post-game press conference were far more jovial, referencing the youthful exuberance and the confidence Larmour showed in backing himself despite it being the wrong call, before again noting his obvious talent and potential, as well as praising his performance outside of that mistake.
O'Driscoll agreed with Sexton's assessment, and went on to discuss not just the young man's ability with the ball in hand, but the mental side of the game that he believes gives Larmour the chance to make it as a world class talent.
"The word is he's[Larmour] going to be really, really special, because he gets it. Lots of these guys, lots of players come through, maybe not with that level of talent but with huge ability, but you have to have the mental capacity, you have to have the willingness to learn and to work, the appetite for it. Apparently he has it all, he picks things up immediately, and that's why they're so excited by him".
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