‘They’re an interesting team to play’: Jamison Gibson-Park on Fiji’s special brand of chaos

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Fiji bring their own special brand of chaos. An unstructured and instinctive style, augmented by sheer power and pace throughout the team. Like time and tide, they wait for no…

Rushing back from injury can be a fool’s errand, tripping up the impulsive. It’s generally more applicable to the younger generation. Experience, or perhaps maturity, reveals it’s better to get the rehabilitation time frame right in the first instance.

Jamison Gibson-Park felt no compunction to break records in his recovery; instead, he adhered to a less hurried timetable. He has managed just one club match since the summer due to a groin injury. The 34-year-old played three of Ireland’s Nations Championship games so far, starting against Australia and New Zealand in July and coming off the bench last week against Argentina.

He missed Leinster’s URC trip to South Africa but returned to play in the win over Munster at the Aviva Stadium, where he was named player of the match. He’s divesting any lingering rustiness and will be ready for action against Fiji on Saturday (kick-off 8.10pm).

“We kind of took our time with it and made sure that I was fully prepped,” Gibson-Park said of his return. “I had a good few weeks’ training under the belt, and I wanted to make sure that I was in the right place before coming back. I’m very thankful to both medical teams [Ireland and Leinster] for sorting me out and keeping me in a good place.”

He noticed an issue as far back as the Six Nations without fully appreciating the specifics, manifesting through “pain symptoms”. He underestimated how much it affected him in not being able to train to his satisfaction, adding: “It certainly affected my performances on the weekend.”

However, he’s now in rude health. The Munster match reinforced how unique a talent he is, not least in the scud pass for Tommy O’Brien’s try. He chuckled when asked whether he’d ever thrown a longer one. In a game, no; in training, yes.

He raised a smile when asked if Leinster and Ireland are quieter environments without his buddy James Lowe, with whom he had an at times telepathic relationship.

“I’ve loved working with Sammy [Prendergast],” he said on whether anyone…

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Opening of the article, excerpted from The Irish Times. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.