• Leinster full-back named on bench against Italy in Six Nations • ‘This guy has time on the ball,’ says Ireland’s captain

Jordan Larmour can bridge the Test match generation gap in Dublin on Saturday, according to Rory Best, who joked he got married in the same year the 20-year-old full-back was a Leinster mascot.

The exciting Larmour is primed to make his Test debut against Italy having been chosen as a replacement following a string of fine performances in his breakthrough campaign with Leinster.

Italy’s coach, Conor O’Shea, has likened Larmour to Christian Cullen but Best has no concerns the debutant will be swayed by the publicity.

Exciting Jordan Larmour leads the new generation of Ireland whiz kids | Robert Kitson Read more

The Ireland captain has no qualms about the highly rated youngster. “I’d imagine Jordan might not even have been born when Christian Cullen was producing magic for the All Blacks. It was Cian Healy who produced a picture of Jordan as a mascot, waving a flag before a Leinster game, in 2009. The most frightening part of that is that I got married in 2009!

“He doesn’t strike you as one who gets too uptight but at the same time he gets very little wrong in training, and that speaks volumes about his character.

“And if you want to see how he reacts in a pressured environment, just look at how he has gone in the biggest provincial games so far.

“The Champions Cup is one thing, but the big inter-pro games I think are another step up really, and against Munster at Thomond, and then against us [Ulster] at the RDS, he really stood up and showed what he’s capable of. With quick ball he can be devastating, so it’s up to us to try to provide that platform for him.”

Cullen won the first of his 58 All Blacks caps in 1996, with Larmour born the following year but rugby’s fast-revolving generations have caught the current Ireland squad off guard this week.

Larmour’s destructive best has led to a rapid introduction to international rugby. He made his senior Leinster debut only at the beginning of the season and, since then, in his 14 appearances, has scored six tries. Among them were the eye-catching efforts over Christmas against Munster and Ulster that led to calls for him to be fast-tracked into Ireland’s plans.

Best even revealed the young star’s raw pace can be seen at a walk, when Ireland build moves from the ground up in training. “I think we’ve seen quite a bit of him over the years coming in, to fill a spot, and now all the other provinces in some shape or form have been affected by him over the last few months,” Best said.

“Even just the change of pace he has in a walk-through … he’s just a very exciting talent. It’s massive for him to get his debut … he’s deserving of being in the squad.

“He’s quiet, but you just know, there’s always at least one guy to walk in … they may not fill the room with their presence with how vocal they are but this guy has time on the ball, and he makes what I would find very difficult look very easy.” PA