MANY PEOPLE LOOK back on the pandemic with a shudder but while Jamison Gibson-Park would happily never experience anything like that time again, he recognises it as a turning point in his career.
Pre-lockdown, he was Leinster’s back-up scrum-half, offering a lively option behind first-choice starter Luke McGrath. Gibson-Park had never been a key starter with the Blues or Hurricanes before his move to Ireland either.
The New Zealand native had become eligible to play for Ireland in 2019 but didn’t come into the mix for Joe Schmidt’s side despite another residency-qualified player, Jean Kleyn, being brought into the squad for that year’s World Cup. McGrath went to the World Cup with Ireland as one of only two scrum-halves.
But on the other side of the first lockdown in 2020, Gibson-Park took off.
He made his first two Ireland appearances under Andy Farrell in the rescheduled 2020 Six Nations games against Italy and France that October, made his first start in the Autumn Nations Cup the following month, then had three starts in the 2021 Six Nations.
By November 2021, Gibson-Park had become Ireland’s first-choice scrum-half, by which stage he was also pushing past McGrath at Leinster. Gibson-Park hasn’t looked back since and is now viewed as one of the best scrum-halves in the world.
“I just probably committed a bit harder, I think,” he says now of that Covid period when he thought about how he could take his career to the next level.
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“I had the time to reflect and came back and just got stuck in really.
“Obviously on the back of that, I got a few opportunities and things started to go OK. I wouldn’t say a massive amount changed. I just committed a bit more and started to prepare a bit better.
“I think overall my level of preparation has got a lot better and my understanding of the game which has come over a good number of years and working with some good coaches and some really good players as well.”
Gibson-Park's kicking has improved hugely. Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
Understanding the game isn’t something Gibson-Park struggles with these days.
He’s a sharp decision-maker with a strong ability to read play on both sides of the ball.
Gibson-Park doesn’t reckon the old version of himself would have been in the right place to make that remarkable try-saving tackle on Scotland’s Blair Kinghorn two weekends ago.
“Probably not, I probably could have been glued to the scrum or something!
“I think it’s just doing my role in this team and sometimes these things happen against good teams, you get cut and they’re going to make breaks against you but I think certainly in this team, the understanding is there that we can still cover it.”
Gibson-Park worked well with James Lowe, who was also covering across from the other side of the pitch. Lowe drifted past Kinghorn onto last attacker Duhan van der Merwe, trusting Gibson-Park to get to Kinghorn.
“I think that was just good play from Lowey,” says Gibson-Park.
“He’d a pretty good understanding of what was coming inside him, so yeah just a good play on his part for sure.”
One of the obvious ways in which Gibson-Park has improved is his kicking. When he was coming through in New Zealand, box kicking wasn’t really seen as a core skill for scrum-halves but that has changed now.
Gibson-Park currently has the highest average hangtime for box kicks of any scrum-half in the Six Nations at 4.1 seconds.
“It definitely has improved,” says the Ireland international.
“I’ve a few people to thank for that. I couldn’t kick snow off a rope when I arrived. It’s been a slow kind of progression.
The Leinster man is key on both sides of the ball. Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
“I kick pretty much every day in Leinster with our kicking coach Emmet Farrell and the other nines and 10s as well so it’s been a gradual progression and a growth in my game.”
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Gibson-Park is enjoying playing alongside out-half Sam Prendergast, who he partners once again for the clash with Wales tomorrow in Cardiff.
They’re still in the relatively early days of their halfback combination but are getting lots of minutes together with Leinster and Ireland.
“He’s been very good, hasn’t he?” says Gibson-Park. “Pretty impressive for someone of his age. He’s taken everything in his stride.
“Himself and Jack [Crowley] obviously, it’s just the nature of the beast being an Irish 10, you come under a huge amount of pressure and he’s dealt with it unbelievably well and he’s playing some great footie, so I’m happy for him.”
Gibson-Park is in a fine vein of form himself and wants to keep things rolling tomorrow against the Welsh.
“I’ve really enjoyed my start to the season with Leinster and obviously over the autumn, things were maybe a little bit tricky [with Ireland]. We didn’t perform to our normal levels, so I was really looking forward to getting back in here and trying to right a few wrongs in that way.
“But most of all, I’m loving my footy at the moment and pretty happy to be part of two pretty successful teams. My drive to keep getting better is still there and long may it continue.”
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'I had the time to reflect... I just committed a bit harder'
MANY PEOPLE LOOK back on the pandemic with a shudder but while Jamison Gibson-Park would happily never experience anything like that time again, he recognises it as a turning point in his career.
Pre-lockdown, he was Leinster’s back-up scrum-half, offering a lively option behind first-choice starter Luke McGrath. Gibson-Park had never been a key starter with the Blues or Hurricanes before his move to Ireland either.
The New Zealand native had become eligible to play for Ireland in 2019 but didn’t come into the mix for Joe Schmidt’s side despite another residency-qualified player, Jean Kleyn, being brought into the squad for that year’s World Cup. McGrath went to the World Cup with Ireland as one of only two scrum-halves.
But on the other side of the first lockdown in 2020, Gibson-Park took off.
He made his first two Ireland appearances under Andy Farrell in the rescheduled 2020 Six Nations games against Italy and France that October, made his first start in the Autumn Nations Cup the following month, then had three starts in the 2021 Six Nations.
By November 2021, Gibson-Park had become Ireland’s first-choice scrum-half, by which stage he was also pushing past McGrath at Leinster. Gibson-Park hasn’t looked back since and is now viewed as one of the best scrum-halves in the world.
“I just probably committed a bit harder, I think,” he says now of that Covid period when he thought about how he could take his career to the next level.
“I had the time to reflect and came back and just got stuck in really.
“Obviously on the back of that, I got a few opportunities and things started to go OK. I wouldn’t say a massive amount changed. I just committed a bit more and started to prepare a bit better.
“I think overall my level of preparation has got a lot better and my understanding of the game which has come over a good number of years and working with some good coaches and some really good players as well.”
Understanding the game isn’t something Gibson-Park struggles with these days.
He’s a sharp decision-maker with a strong ability to read play on both sides of the ball.
Gibson-Park doesn’t reckon the old version of himself would have been in the right place to make that remarkable try-saving tackle on Scotland’s Blair Kinghorn two weekends ago.
“Probably not, I probably could have been glued to the scrum or something!
“I think it’s just doing my role in this team and sometimes these things happen against good teams, you get cut and they’re going to make breaks against you but I think certainly in this team, the understanding is there that we can still cover it.”
Gibson-Park worked well with James Lowe, who was also covering across from the other side of the pitch. Lowe drifted past Kinghorn onto last attacker Duhan van der Merwe, trusting Gibson-Park to get to Kinghorn.
“I think that was just good play from Lowey,” says Gibson-Park.
“He’d a pretty good understanding of what was coming inside him, so yeah just a good play on his part for sure.”
One of the obvious ways in which Gibson-Park has improved is his kicking. When he was coming through in New Zealand, box kicking wasn’t really seen as a core skill for scrum-halves but that has changed now.
Gibson-Park currently has the highest average hangtime for box kicks of any scrum-half in the Six Nations at 4.1 seconds.
“It definitely has improved,” says the Ireland international.
“I’ve a few people to thank for that. I couldn’t kick snow off a rope when I arrived. It’s been a slow kind of progression.
“I kick pretty much every day in Leinster with our kicking coach Emmet Farrell and the other nines and 10s as well so it’s been a gradual progression and a growth in my game.”
Gibson-Park is enjoying playing alongside out-half Sam Prendergast, who he partners once again for the clash with Wales tomorrow in Cardiff.
They’re still in the relatively early days of their halfback combination but are getting lots of minutes together with Leinster and Ireland.
“He’s been very good, hasn’t he?” says Gibson-Park. “Pretty impressive for someone of his age. He’s taken everything in his stride.
“Himself and Jack [Crowley] obviously, it’s just the nature of the beast being an Irish 10, you come under a huge amount of pressure and he’s dealt with it unbelievably well and he’s playing some great footie, so I’m happy for him.”
Gibson-Park is in a fine vein of form himself and wants to keep things rolling tomorrow against the Welsh.
“I’ve really enjoyed my start to the season with Leinster and obviously over the autumn, things were maybe a little bit tricky [with Ireland]. We didn’t perform to our normal levels, so I was really looking forward to getting back in here and trying to right a few wrongs in that way.
“But most of all, I’m loving my footy at the moment and pretty happy to be part of two pretty successful teams. My drive to keep getting better is still there and long may it continue.”
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