GONE ARE THE days when Jamison Gibson-Park used to watch in admiration as Leinster’s Ireland internationals returned from Test duty and slipped back into their province’s systems and plays without much fuss.
Since the autumn of 2020, the scrum-half has been one of the crew coming back to Leinster from Ireland camp and settling in quickly.
So he isn’t perturbed by the challenge of making his Leinster comeback in tomorrow’s Champions Cup round of 16 clash against Ulster, just two weekends after winning the Grand Slam with Ireland.
“It’s kind of second nature, to be honest,” said Gibson-Park this week.
“When I wasn’t playing for Ireland, I used to look at the lads coming back and think, ‘Holy hell, how do you do that, it must be so difficult.’
“But once you have the two sets of calls in your head… it’s not to say it’s seamless but once you get a few training sessions in, it becomes just part of the process. There is a lot of stuff and a lot of new plays so there are certainly a few hours spent in the book.”
Gibson-Park obviously watched Leinster’s games during the recent Six Nations period but he joked that Stuart Lancaster wasn’t keeping in touch with him.
“He talks to his favourites, I think! I’m not one of them,” said Gibson-Park with a wide smile.
Of course, he is one of Lancaster’s favourites. The Leinster senior coach is on the record as being proud of Gibson-Park’s rise in recent years.
The 31-year-old missed Ireland’s opening three games of the Six Nations due to a hamstring injury but returned in impressive fashion for the wins over Scotland and England, the latter of which he started at number nine.
“I was pretty stoked with the whole process,” said Gibson-Park. “I was obviously very disappointed to begin with, but once I stuck to the rehab and I knew I was going to get back for Scotland I had my head set on that one.
“I was grateful to get the opportunity to play and relatively happy with how it played out.”
Being back for the Grand Slam-clinching game against the English was huge for Gibson-Park, who proudly brought his daughters out onto the pitch for the celebrations.
The Leinster man is always one of the first to get his kids involved. Isabella is now eight and Iris is three.
“Yeah, they love it, eh?” said Gibson-Park of getting Isabella and Iris out on the pitch.
“The eldest is probably old enough now to grasp what’s going on. The youngest one is just… she hasn’t a clue, she’s away with the fairies, but it is pretty cool.
“She’s at school now so her pals would have watched and seen them on TV and all that kind of stuff.”
Gibson-Park is hoping that his daughters will be able to join him for trophy celebrations again twice next month but this time after Leinster successes. They have big ambitions in both the Champions Cup and the URC.
“Hopefully, all going to plan,” said Gibson-Park, “we’ve got the chance now.
“There has been a lot of hard work to get to this point. This is what we targeted at the start of the season, to be in the Aviva, back in front of our home fans and families. We’ve given ourselves a proper chance now so we have to give it a proper rattle.”
Not that he’s thinking beyond tomorrow’s inter-provincial showdown with Ulster, who Leinster have the utmost respect for.
“They’re very good, they obviously beat us at the RDS last year which is pretty telling I think,” he said. “They’re a great side.
“I think they kind of went out of a form up a little bit probably over Christmas but I think they’re back now. They have had three good wins of their own over good opposition.”
Gibson-Park is set to partner Ross Byrne in the halfbacks for this game, with captain Johnny Sexton unlikely to feature for Leinster again this season.
It’s a cruel blow for Sexton but Gibson-Park has full faith in Byrne’s ability to step up.
“Bitterly disappointed for Johnny and it’s pretty sad to think he might not play for Leinster again but he will be floating around doing rehab and stuff and he has always got a lot to say with regard to how we are playing,” said Gibson-Park.
“He is essentially another coach so there is certainly a lot for him to do.
“Ross has been brilliant. He had to put up with a bit. He wasn’t in the Ireland fold but he put his head down and went to work for Leinster, eh? He has been class the last number of years so fully deserves the opportunity.”
