Jamison Gibson-Park

Jamison Ratu Gibson-Park (born 23 February 1992) is a professional rugby union player who plays as a scrum-half for United Rugby Championship club Leinster. Born in New Zealand, he represents Ireland at international level after qualifying through residency.[2][3][4]

Jamison Gibson-Park
Full nameJamison Ratu Gibson-Park
Date of birth (1992-02-23) 23 February 1992
Place of birthGreat Barrier Island, New Zealand
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight80 kg (176 lb; 12 st 8 lb)
SchoolGisborne Boys' High School
Rugby union career
Position(s) Scrum-half
Current team Leinster
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2012–2015 Taranaki 32 (30)
2013–2015 Blues 30 (10)
2016 Hurricanes 13 (0)
2016– Leinster 126 (125)
Correct as of 5 May 2023
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2012–2015 Māori All Blacks 8 (15)
2020– Ireland 30 (25)
Correct as of 14 October 2023[1]

Early life

Gibson-Park was born, and spent the first 10 years of his life on Great Barrier Island. From there he moved to Gisborne. He ended up at Gisborne Boys' High School, where he excelled in its first XV, being named in the New Zealand Secondary Schools squad in his final year.[5] He then got picked up out of school by the Taranaki Academy where he moved at the start of 2011.

In 2012 Gibson-Park trialled for the New Zealand under-20 side, but he missed selection.[6]

Club career

Taranaki

Gibson-Park debuted for Taranaki in 2012, playing the season's first two Ranfurly Shield matches against King Country and Wanganui. He was contracted and made the Taranaki National Provincial Championship squad, making his NPC debut starting at scrum-half against Bay of Plenty. He made an immediate impact with his decisive running and ability to spot a gap. His ability to put a player into space also caught the eye. Gibson-Park was one of the then break-out stars of the 2012 ITM Cup in his debut year for Taranaki, scoring four tries in eleven appearances and was awarded the most promising player of the year ahead of finalists Mitch Brown and Seta Tamanivalu.[7] His performance didn't go unnoticed by the national media or the Super Rugby coaches. He received high praise from television, print and radio commentators and had been named one of the five promising players of the year by the Rugby Almanack.[8]

Blues

In 2013 he was signed by the Super Rugby side the Blues. He earned his first Super Rugby start in the Blues 21–28 loss to the Bulls in round four of the competition. Gibson-Park was also a part of the Blues team to face France, getting his chance because of injury with All Blacks halfback Piri Weepu.[9]

Gibson-Park had a slow start to the 2014 Super Rugby season because of stress fracture but finished the season appearing in two matches of rounds ten and eighteen coming on as a replacement against the Hurricanes and Crusaders. 2015 was a strong year as he started at halfback majority of the year, who along with Brendon O'Connor were the only players who had played in every game that season for the Auckland franchise.[10] Gibson-Park recorded one try while also being pointed out by many commentators as a key figure for the Blues, in what was his final season.

Hurricanes

October 2015, Gibson-Park was the last to join the Hurricanes 39-man Super Rugby squad after head coach Chris Boyd looked to fill gaps at halfback after the departure of Chris Smylie to Italy. He joined alongside fellow Taranaki halfback Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi.[11]

Leinster

On 12 May 2016, Park left New Zealand to join Irish province Leinster in the Pro12 ahead of the 2016–17 season.[12] In September 2017, Gibson-Park and Leinster captain Isa Nacewa were denied entry in to South Africa due to visa restrictions. The pair had been due to play two matches for Leinster in the Pro14 against the Southern Kings and the Cheetahs.[13] He made his 100th appearance for Leinster coming off the bench in a 16–6 victory over Munster in the 2021 Pro14 Grand Final.[14][15] Gibson-Park was selected in Leinster's defeat to La Rochelle in the 2023 European Rugby Champions Cup final.[16]

International career

Māori All Blacks

Although the then 20-year-old Gibson-Park had only played eleven matches for Taranaki, Jamie Joseph, the Māori All Blacks coach, selected him for the 2012 end of year tour to England, playing against domestic club team Leicester Tigers, an invitational RFU Championship XV, and ending against the Canadian national team.[17]

Ireland

In August 2019, Gibson-Park became eligible to play for Ireland under the World Rugby's eligibility rules.[2]

In October 2020, he was named in the Ireland squad by coach Andy Farrell for the remaining matches of the 2020 Six Nations Championship.[18] Gibson Park came off the bench against Italy for his first cap on 24 October 2020.[19]

In November 2021, he was selected as the starting scrum-half for Ireland's test against Japan,[20] scoring his first international try in a 60–5 victory. He kept his place for the visit of New Zealand a week later and played a key role in a 29–20 win over his native country.[21] His performance against New Zealand earned him praise for his speed of service and work-rate in defence.[22] He scored a try in Ireland's 30–24 loss against France in the 2022 Six Nations, and then another against Italy two weeks later in a 57–6 win.

Career statistics

List of international tries
Number Position Points Tries Result Opposition Venue Date Ref.
1 Scrum-half 5 1 Won Japan Aviva Stadium 6 November 2021 [23]
2 Scrum-half 5 1 Lost France Stade de France 12 February 2022 [24]
3 Scrum-half 5 1 Won Italy Aviva Stadium 27 February 2022 [25]
4 Scrum-half 5 1 Won Romania Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux 9 September 2023 [26]

as of 10 September 2023[27]

References
  1. "Jamison Gibson-Park". Irish Rugby. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  2. "These players have been recruited to play for Ireland. International sport shouldn't have a transfer market". Irish Independent. Dublin, Ireland. 18 November 2020.
  3. "Jamison Gibson-Park Taranaki Player Profile". Archived from the original on 17 January 2014. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
  4. "Blues squad announced for 2013". 31 October 2012. Archived from the original on 26 January 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
  5. "Quake detour leads to final". 23 September 2011. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
  6. Scully, Michael (12 November 2020). "Gibson-Park set for first Ireland start almost a decade after All Blacks snub". Irish Mirror. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  7. "Michael Bent best in amber and black". Taranaki Daily News. Fairfax. 2 November 2012. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
  8. "Gibson-Park highly rated by rugby almanack". 3 April 2013. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  9. "Blues revved for Les Bleus: rookie Gibson-Park". 8 June 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
  10. "BLUES HONOUR MEALAMU AND PARSONS IN FINAL MATCH". 10 June 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  11. "Jamison Gibson-Park, Loni Uhila complete Hurricanes Super Rugby roster". 28 October 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  12. "Leinster snap up Hurricanes scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park". RTE. 12 May 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  13. "Leinster duo Nacewa and Gibson-Park denied entry to South Africa". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  14. "TONER TO BECOME MOST CAPPED LEINSTER PLAYER OF ALL TIME". Leinster rugby. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  15. "GUINNESS PRO14 FINAL MATCH REPORT: LEINSTER 16 MUNSTER 6". Leinster rugby. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  16. "La Rochelle break Leinster hearts with epic comeback to win Champions Cup". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  17. "Halfback lives highs and lows of rep rugby". 30 October 2012. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
  18. "Farrell includes six uncapped players in Ireland squad as Sexton retains captaincy". The 42. 8 October 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  19. "Six Nations 2020: Debutants among tries as Ireland beat Italy 50-17 to go top". BBC Sport. 24 October 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  20. "Ireland Team Named for Japan Match". 4 November 2021.
  21. "Relentless Ireland Outplay New Zealand to Continue Winning Run".
  22. "Jamison Gibson-Park becomes Ireland's omnipresent metronome". The Irish Times.
  23. "Ireland 60-5 Japan: Andrew Conway notches hat-trick". Sky Sports. 6 November 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  24. Bull, Andy (12 February 2022). "France hold off spirited Ireland fightback to win Six Nations thriller". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  25. Fanning, Brendan (27 February 2022). "Italy thrashed by Ireland after being forced to play for an hour with 13 men". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  26. "No. 1 Ireland rout Romania 82-8 in Rugby World Cup opener". espnscrum. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  27. "Jamison Gibson-Park". It's Rugby. 29 May 2023. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
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