BUCKING THE TREND
Gibson-Park is the first Leinster scrum-half in 50 years to be nailed on as first choice for Ireland
JAMISON GIBSONPARK was feeling the love over the weekend. Every report, broadcast and review of Leinster’s impressive dismantling of Leicester at Welford Road singled out the Kiwi for special praise.
The broad consensus was that the scrum-half was the most influential figure on the pitch, with pundit Stuart Barnes going so far as to describe him as the best No9 in the northern hemisphere at present.
As a former out-half of England and Lions quality, Barnes knows a bit about what makes a good scrum-half and this was a remarkable statement given that this is the era of Antoine Dupont — the world player of the year who squares off against Gibson-Park when Toulouse attempt to derail Leinster in the European Cup semi-final this weekend.
For the past few years, the Leinster No9 jersey was seen as a fair scrap between Gibson-Park and Luke McGrath, a quality operator in his own right, with regular rotation the name of the game but Gibson-Park is now very much the go-to pick for Leo Cullen and Stuart Lancaster.
Just as he is with Ireland. When the former New Zealand Maori qualified on residency and was capped by Andy Farrell against Italy in the autumn of 2020, it was viewed as a toe-in-the-water exercise at a time when Conor Murray was still way out in front.
A year and a half on from that debut off the bench in a 50-17 romp at Lansdowne Road and Gibson-Park is nailed on with Ireland, too — to the point where much of the credit for Ireland’s significant upturn in style and results since late 2021 has been attributed to the variety and tempo introduced by the Super Rugby-schooled Kiwi No9.
Students of Leinster rugby history will also have noted that Gibson-Park’s elevation to the top of the Ireland scrum-half pile is something of an anomaly for the province.
Trawl through Ireland teamsheets over the last four decades and you will discover that there are few other examples of a Leinster No9 being bedded in as first choice for the national team.
In the 1980s, John Robbie had the talent to be installed longterm but opted to play his rugby exiled in Apartheid South Africa while Tony Doyle of Greystones and Lansdowne’s Fergus Aherne (originally from Cork) were accomplished halfbacks but could not oust Munster’s Michael Bradley as Ireland’s first choice.
The 1990s were a shambles but, while the likes of Blackrock’s Alain Rolland and Terenure’s Niall Hogan were given a go (and even the captaincy in Hogan’s case), no Leinster man was able to secure a regular berth at No9.
Then there is the one that got away.
At the end of the 1990s, Irish rugby was still finding its way as a professional entity and a young scrum-half emerged from the Blackrock College talent academy burdened with the widespread expectation of leading Ireland to the Promised Land.
Ciaran Scally was an exceptional talent, an all-rounder blessed with power, pace and footballing nous along with excellent handling, passing and breaking skills. The full package.
Scally managed four caps between 1998 and 1999 but before his career could take off, injury destroyed it and the Blackrock man became one of Irish rugby’s great ‘what might have beens’ at the age of just 21.
Scally’s unfortunate removal helped spawn the Age of Peter Stringer through the 2000s, swiftly followed by the Age of Conor Murray through the 2010s as two Munster scrum-halves monopolised the Ireland No9 jersey for the best part of two decades.
Over that period, Leinster No9s — from Brian O’Meara to Guy Easterby, Isaac Boss, Eoin Reddan and Luke McGrath — were largely used as back-ups, with Reddan coming closest to establishing himself as guaranteed first-choice but never quite managing it.
INCIDENTALLY, only one of that crew (McGrath) actually hailed from the province — suggesting this has been something of a homegrown problem position over the years.
But now, after all the years of Leinster No9s being on the margins, there is Gibson-Park — firmly established as Ireland’s first-choice scrumhalf and, having just turned 30,
Quality: Fromer Leinster and Ireland No9 Johnny Moloney likely to remain in that role for the next few years. Indeed, you have to go back a full 50 years (January 1972) to find a Leinster No9 embarking on a similar journey, when Johnny Moloney of St Mary’s won his first cap in a famous victory over France in Paris — the last time Ireland would achieve one until Brian O’Driscoll hat-tricked his way to glory 28 years later. Moloney dominated the Ireland No9 jersey through the 1970s, claiming 27 caps and some significant results along the way — including four wins over England and a famous draw against the All Blacks in 1973. During that period, Moloney was untouchable as the best scrum-half in Ireland and one of the best in the northern hemisphere — until the brilliant Colin Patterson emerged from Ulster towards the end of the decade. The modern player tends to be consumed by the immediate and it is likely Gibson-Park has never heard of Moloney — but he is an important figure in the history of Leinster and Irish rugby. However, having bucked a long-standing trend by becoming the first Leinster No9 to be nailed on for Ireland in 50 years, GibsonPark is now setting about creating his own legacy.