In a dazzling display that had rugby fans on the edge of their seats, Aotea’s very own Jamison Gibson-Park proved yet again why he’s Ireland’s good luck charm.
Scoring a hat-trick in the first half against Leicester Tigers overnight, Gibson-Park wasn’t just playing rugby; he was making magic happen on the field, steering Leinster to victory and setting up a face-off with La Rochelle in the Investec Champions Cup quarter-final.
Speaking with TNT Sports, the characteristically humble Man of the Match shared his thoughts, “I am lucky to have great players around me to make my job easier.”
And easy it seemed, as Gibson-Park dashed through the defense, not once, not twice, but three times in just 17 minutes. “I didn’t have to do too much work other than run them [tries] under the sticks,” he said.
“We can lift it to another level next week. We will be confident going into next week.” Gibson-Park added, .
In a punchy New Zealand Herald editorial last week, Jamison Gibson-Park, along with two other Kiwi signings Bundee Aki and James Lowe, were spotlighted as key players propelling Ireland to Six Nations glory on St Patrick’s Day earlier in the month.
“As the brilliant Connor Murray started to feel his age, in came Gibson-Park at halfback to take Ireland’s game to the next level.” the Gregor Paul editorial stated.
The acknowledgment comes as NZ Rugby revisits its elite talent pathways strategy, designed to nurture future stars, in an attempt to keep kiwi legends in Aotearoa.
Jamison Gibson-Park’s journey from early education at Mulberry Grove School on the Barrier to becoming the linchpin of Ireland’s rugby dreams has been remarkable. His formative years at Gisborne Boys’ High School set the stage for a rugby career that took off with Taranaki, soared with the Blues and Hurricanes in Super Rugby, finding its pinnacle when he became Irish qualified in 2020.
