The Leinster back made a mid-career switch from New Zealand to Ireland. By Kit Shepard
Who is Jamison Gibson-Park: Ten things you should know about the Ireland scrum-half
Jamison Gibson-Park is a purposeful scrum-half for Leinster and Ireland.
A near-deserted island, an earthquake and a trip across the world have shaped his career.
Ten things you should know about Jamison Gibson-Park
1. Jamison Gibson-Park was born on 23 February 1992 on Great Barrier Island in New Zealand. He lived on the island, which at the time had fewer than 800 inhabitants, for the first ten years of his life.
2. He moved to Gisborne on the New Zealand mainland aged ten and attended Gisborne Boys’ High School. In his final year, he was selected for the New Zealand Secondary Schools squad.
3. Gibson-Park’s plans to build a professional rugby career in Christchurch were foiled by the 2011 earthquake in the city and he instead joined Taranaki in New Plymouth.
4. He is a keen surfer who would have pursued it as a career had he not been a rugby player.
5. He played four seasons in Super Rugby, representing the Blues from 2013 to 2015 before winning the title with the Hurricanes in 2016
6. Gibson-Park moved to Leinster in 2016 and scored a try on his first start for the club against Edinburgh.
7. He came off the bench in the 2018 European Champions Cup final against Racing 92, as Leinster won a record-equalling fourth continental crown.
8. Having represented the Maori All Blacks in 2012, Gibson-Park debuted for Ireland in October 2020. He qualified for his adopted country through the three-year residency rule.
9. Despite switching allegiances, Gibson-Park remains good friends with many All Blacks internationals, particularly his former Hurricanes team-mates.
10. He beat out stalwart Conor Murray for the Ireland No 9 shirt in the 2021 Autumn Nations Series.
Against his native New Zealand, Gibson-Park displayed supreme game management as Ireland beat the All Blacks for just the third time.
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