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Leinster’s Jamison Gibson-Park skips praise just like Leicester defenders

Scrumhalf quick to point to the fact Leinster’s overall performance was below par ahead of La Rochelle clash

Leinster’s Jamison Gibson-Park scores his second try during the Investec Champions Cup Round of 16 match against Leicester at the Aviva Stadium. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/inpho

John O'Sullivan at the Aviva Stadium
Mon Apr 8 2024 - 06:00

Feting Jamison Gibson-Park is like trying to hit a piñata, there are a lot of swings and misses. The 32-year-old is studiously modest and self-effacing, showing the same elusive qualities off the pitch as he does on it in, wriggling free of any praise that doesn’t prioritise the collective.

The Leinster and Ireland scrumhalf was outstanding in the victory over the Leicester Tigers and not simply because he scored a hat-trick of tries. A beacon of creativity he lit the way for Leinster in attack in starting and finishing the team’s better moments. He’s alive to possibility, possesses a predator’s instinct to ambush the unwary, while also managing to harry and cover in defence.

Leicester couldn’t lay a glove on him, and neither could the media post-match. He was first asked if it was his best performance in a blue jersey? He replied: “Don’t know, probably would have been happier to get more of a team performance; [we] certainly a lot to learn before next weekend”.

He steered the conversations back to safer waters. “No, I felt good, I’m enjoying being back in this environment, working with some great coaches and a lot of talent, player-wise so yeah, it’s an awesome team to play for.

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“We’re up against our old mates [La Rochelle] again. If you are going to go the whole way you are going to have to beat the best teams and I think La Rochelle are peaking at the right time. It will be a tough challenge, but we’ll get stuck into it.

“We haven’t really touched on it [next Saturday’s game]. It was a little bit flat in the dressingroom after a patchy performance. That always seems to be the way with these lads who have high standards. There was some good stuff, but a few might be disappointed with individual performances.

He was happier to examine the La Rochelle challenge with broader observations. “It’s awesome. The most exciting thing is we get another crack at them in front of our fans. They have beaten us here before so they will come with a fair bit of confidence.

“It is knock-out footie, sometimes it is not always pretty. Grinding out results is important. I think we did that [against Leicester] and managed to find a way. Next weekend will be no different. They haven’t always been the flashiest matches against La Rochelle, so I’d expect the same.”

Leinster’s quest for silverware has gone unfulfilled for a couple of seasons, something of which the players are well aware. Gibson-Park said: “It’s massive, we haven’t done so in the last little while so it’s the ultimate test at the end of the year. We’ve had great seasons, but we haven’t been able to finish them off. We’re hoping that will be a little bit different this year.”

If they do, he’ll have a huge part to play.

John O'Sullivan

John O'Sullivan

John O'Sullivan is an Irish Times sports writer

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