People are now starting to appreciate what Gibson-Park offers – Lancaster
FOR most of his professional career, Jamison Gibson-Park has been pigeonholed as an impact player who will come off the bench and make a difference against a tiring defence.
It’s a role that has suited the New Zealand-born scrum-half, as his ability to lift the tempo has proven to be a very useful attribute.
During his time at the Hurricanes, where he won a Super Rugby title, Gibson-Park was stuck behind TJ Perenara, who himself has mostly been used as a replacement for Aaron Smith with the All Blacks.
The longer a player spends branded with that kind of tag, the more difficult it is to shake off – just ask Seán Cronin. So when Gibson-Park arrived at Leinster in 2016, he continued to be viewed as a handy sub.
However, in the last few months, there has been a considerable shift as Gibson-Park has leapfrogged Luke McGrath in the Ireland pecking order, even if it’s not yet fully clear who Leinster view as their main man since the jostling for positions.
Gibson-Park has started Ireland’s previous two games in the absence of Conor Murray, who is set to recover from his hamstring injury and be available for selection for Sunday’s trip to Scotland.
With the in-form Craig Casey also knocking on the door, Andy Farrell is not short of options.
Stuart Lancaster has closely followed
Gibson-Park’s development over the last few years, with Leinster’s senior coach playing a key role in the 29-yearold stepping out of his comfort zone and using his voice.
“I think he’s just finding his feet,” Lancaster said.
“When you get selected as an international player, obviously it’s a very steep rise in terms of experience, scrutiny, pressure and the sideshow that surrounds the game. But also what changes as well is the scrutiny on you and your position.
Learning
“With England, I would cap many young players who go on this sort of steep learning curve but also you get this plateau as well where sides begin to really assess your game and analyse your game. I think Jamo’s just going through that now.
“That’s the next challenge for him, to keep pushing on and showing what his X factor is, but once he backs himself and believes in his own ability, which everyone else does, then he’s an outstanding player.
“It’s been great to see him grow as a person off the field and the way he communicates on the field, as well as obviously his undoubted skill-set.
“People probably don’t appreciate what he offers, but I think that’s changing because people are definitely seeing . . . they are more aware of him now for sure.”
In order for Gibson-Park to push on to the next level, he will need to get the nod ahead of a fit Murray.
Farrell has a big call to make this weekend in that regard, as he weighs up whether to pick on form or reputation for the game against Scotland.
Lancaster believes Gibson-Park is finally ready to shed his impact-player tag and command a regular starting sport for club and country.
“To be honest, he probably came from New Zealand with that mindset. He was always the number two, he always came on in the last 10 (minutes) and never really got a start,” Lancaster maintained.
“But I think it’s a lot to do with his mindset now. I think he believes he is the number one, thinks he should be starting. As a consequence, he plays like that. So, he plays with a lot more control and composure. I thought his last performance was his best. It will be interesting to see what they do this weekend because you certainly wouldn’t worry if he was starting again.”
Lancaster expects out-half Harry Byrne (head injury) to be available for Friday’s PRO14 game against Zebre in Italy, as the Englishman heaped praise on the young Ireland hopeful.
“I’m really pleased with his development,” he added.
“I love coaching him. He is a great player to coach, always pushing the boundaries and pushing you as a coach. He’s got a great skill-set, so I have real high hopes for Harry in the future.”