Finn Russell Ireland coach Richie Murphy backs Andrew Conway and Jordan Larmour to thrive if called upon against Scotland

IRELAND assistant coach Richie Murphy says he is confident in Andrew Conway and Jordan Larmour’s ability to step up to the plate against Scotland.

The duo are on stand-by to start in the back-three if, as expected, Rob Kearney and Keith Earls are ruled out of the Yokohama clash. 

With Conway expected to play at full-back and Larmour on the wing and a forecast for high winds in the coastal Japanese city, the Scots will undoubtedly put their aerial abilities to the test.

“Extremely confident,” Murphy said. 

“We picked 31 players that we feel can all do the job for us.

“If, for instance, Rob wasn’t there, we’d be very happy with Jordan, he’s got a lot of big-game experience.

“Bomber (Conway) has played back there as well, so if it is a case that Rob’s not there, we’d be very happy with the guys.

“They understand the systems, they’ve been working in them for three-and-a-half years, Jordan since he’s come into the squad. They should be very comfortable within the systems.

“The weather’s changing. It’s very hard to know and we’ll just have to keep an eye on it over the next few days. Two days ago, it looked like it was going to be the worst rain shower we’ve ever seen.

“Now, it’s saying it will