There is life and business off the pitch, but playing in front of 75,000 spectators at Croke Park this weekend, Jordan Larmour only has one focus.
His start-up, Sigmoid Apparel, has gone from strength to strength over the past year which resulted in their first store at Beacon South Quarter in Sandyford.
And while he plans for life after the game, this Saturday evening his sights are firmly set on moving one step closer to his second Champions Cup medal.
Northampton Saints stand in Leinster’s way, as they bid to reach a third successive decider and banish the memories of back-to-back defeats to La Rochelle.
“It’s one of the main reasons I play rugby, to win and to win trophies,” said Larmour.
“Done that in the past and once you get that taste of it you just want to keep getting more.
“We’re definitely capable of winning something this season but you have got to show up on the big days and play well.
“It’s a hugely exciting couple of weeks for us hopefully, but it would mean everything for the whole squad to come away with some silverware.”
The 26-year-old made his senior debut for Leinster in September 2017, by the following February he had already represented Ireland in the Six Nations.
There have been 103 appearances for his province and 30 caps for Ireland in a glittering career but like every rugby player, Larmour has had to plan for life after.
Injury has curtailed his involvements in recent seasons and it coincided with his venture into the business world with Sigmoid Apparel.
Larmour co-founded the sports performance wear company alongside LPGA Tour player Kiira Riihijarvi.
“Keeping yourself busy away from rugby is important, you can’t just be rugby, rugby, rugby the whole time,” said Larmour.
“You have got to have that time to switch off and rugby is not going to last forever, it’s a very physical sport with a lot of injuries. Since I have been playing, there’s been three or four lads who have had to retire early just from injury.
“And myself as well, I’ve been on the sideline a few times so you know when you’re not playing rugby you’re thinking of different things, Jesus what am I going to do after rugby? Having these little projects that we can tip away at.
“Obviously, rugby is still the main focus but when you get off the pitch and you get home you can switch off and dive into these projects. It helps, you switch off a bit and at the same time it helps set yourself up for the future.”
Larmour followed in the footsteps of his grandparents when he picked up golf for the first time at Carrickmines Golf Club as a 14-year-old. He later moved to Greystones with a neighbour and there he spent many of his summer days.
He plays in Dun Laoghaire now and although rugby and business dominate his winter months, he gets his chance to play golf on the course in the off-season.
However with Sigmoid Apparel now located at Sigmoid HQ, it also gives him the opportunity to play indoor golf in between.
“Rob Browne and Dave Kearney came up with the idea for this place (Sigmoid HQ),” said Larmour.
“They wanted it to be a place that anyone could come, sports fans, golfers, come in for a coffee. I know a good few people now who just come in, get a coffee and sit down on their laptop for an hour or so, might hit a few balls as well.
“It’s just a really accommodating, welcoming place. The lads have done a really good job. It’s a good place as well where we can showcase the Sigmoid Apparel gear. We’ve got a few new bits that we are launching this summer.
“Overall, it’s just a great place to be. I know me and the lads love coming up because we don’t have to walk around after training, we can just come up and hit a few balls or even the leagues as well, can get the competitive juices flowing.”
Golf is a popular sport in the Leinster and Irish setups, Josh Van der Flier is one of the better golfers, along with Ciaran Frawley, Dan Sheehan and Hugo Keenan. Meanwhile, Larmour plays off a five handicap.
“I’m handy enough at times, though I played at the weekend and I was terrible, shocking, so I may get in for a few lessons with Dave here,” joked Larmour.
“I love playing golf, nine holes in the evening or on a Sunday morning getting up or just after a match even getting the body moving again is nice. When you are stiff and sore and you can go out and just hit the ball around a little bit.”
Larmour is also a client of Sigmoid Sports, the Athlete and Performance Management Company. Founded in 2021, their head office is based at the indoor golf facility in Sigmoid HQ.
It’s an exciting time for Sigmoid HQ which was only established last November but recently launched a women’s get into golf campaign and have big plans for expansion coming down the line.
They offer a wide range of services including simulator rentals, custom club fitting, golf leagues and golf coaching by David Kearney.
“Especially in Ireland because the weather is so bad there’s definitely a lot more scope for indoor golf centres,” said Larmour.
“What Rob and Dave have done here with the level of coaching you get, the service that you get, it’s only going to be up from here. People are going to see this place and think what a really cool idea and they are going to want to go out and do it.
“To see Rob and Dave leading in indoor golf in Ireland it’s really impressive. There’s loads of scope to grow. You watch a lot of people that come in here and they have never seen something like this before so they are taken aback by it and then it’s only until they get on the sim that they really enjoy it.”
And with Sigmoid Apparel, Larmour has made a splash in the business world as he looks to copper-fasten his future away from rugby.
He could still have a decade left in the game but any anxiety and uncertainty of life afterwards has seeped away.
“It’s to keep trying to grow it as much as we can and keep trying to learn and improve on all our products,” said Larmour.
“We do have plans to release a lot more lines and have a lot more launches. This summer will be a good gauge to see how this goes.
“We just need to get people wearing the gear, we need to get it out there, show them the quality of it, how it fits and it’s great for all active events, running, golf, whatever you want to do.
“It’s a really nice fit, very comfortable and yeah overall, it’s just really exciting times ahead.”
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