Jamison Gibson-Park still reaping rewards from the old Sexton axis

Ireland nine Jamison Gibson-Park still works closely with Johnny Sexton, albeit in a reconfigured combination, his old number 10 now one of Andy Farrell’s trusted assistant coaches.

Jamison Gibson-Park at the IRFU High Performance Centre. Pic ©INPHO/Ben Brady

Jamison Gibson-Park’s on-field relationship with Johnny Sexton was the 9-10 axis which defined Ireland at their peak during that golden period of 2021-23. Scrum-half Gibson-Park’s high-tempo game from the back of rucks and in open play artfully combined with the veteran fly-half’s excellent vision and game management.

Now a veteran himself at age 34, Gibson-Park still works closely with Sexton, albeit in a reconfigured combination, his old number 10 now one of Andy Farrell’s trusted assistant coaches.

Speaking ahead of what could be an elevation in Thursday’s team announcement from replacement to starting role against Fiji at Aviva Stadium this Saturday night, the number nine reflected on a changing dynamic between former team-mates and how he is is still reaping the rewards of the partnership.

"It is different, yeah, but he's still the same Johnny,” Gibson-Park said on Wednesday at the IRFU High Performance Centre in Abbottstown.

“I know he's always got the coach’s hat on now and he's doing that unbelievably well but he's still the same Johnny floating around the coffee room or whatever, coppin' slags about Man United and all that kind of stuff.

"But no, he's a great fella, he's such huge value and I obviously got so much out of him when I was playing and continue to do so, he has such an unbelievable IP.

"He hasn't played the game for a few years, but he still sees it the same as he would have so we're very lucky to have him.

"He sees the game so well, so his input is everywhere, in our backs unit meetings, he's talking on both sides of the ball. So it's been great. I think he's invaluable.” 

Sexton’s reputation as a player was of leading from the front and driving exacting standards in training and during games, of bawling out team-mates who did not match his expectations. As a world-class operator himself, Gibson-Park suggested things have not changed though the scrum-half hinted there may have been some realignment on the former fly-half’s view of a number nine’s role.

"Maybe at a push, maybe at a push! But no, like I say, it's been great, he's an awesome coach and he's really starting to find his feet and kick on.

“It's not been seamless, but he was already pretty much coaching us anyway (as a player). But it's been great and it's such a great team of coaches, and we're very lucky. They're brilliant to work with.” 

Gibson-Park’s late start to the season with Leinster after injury was a major factor behind Craig Casey’s start at scrum-half in the 42-12 Dublin victory over Argentina last Friday with the first-choice nine coming off the bench after 55 minutes as Sam Prendergast was replaced at fly-half by Ciaran Frawley, now hitting his straps with Connacht following a summer move from Leinster.

The scrum-half has partnered three different Ireland fly-halves since Sexton’s retirement at the end of the 2023 World Cup, with Jack Crowley, Prendergast and Frawley battling for recognition from head coach Farrell. With Crowley out until at least next month with a lower leg vascular condition, Prendergast has stepped out of a 2025-26 mini-slump and produced some scintillating fly-half play this season for Ireland and Leinster, not least in the first Test game of this Nations Championship window against Los Pumas, when his all-round performance was capped by a try and five conversions from five.

It is form that has impressed Gibson-Park, who sees a player rejuvenated this season.

“I think probably trusting himself is one big thing. You can see it in his game, it just looks like he's feeling it, he's trusting his eyes and maybe at stages last year he's probably second guessing himself whether he was doing the right thing.

“But when you play that type of game, you're going to get things wrong, which is fine, but he's able to move on to the next one pretty quickly and I've been really impressed with how he started the season.” 

Former provincial team-mate Frawley has been equally eye-catching to the number nine this season, who said he thought the move west to reunite with head coach and former Leinster senior coach Stuart Lancaster had: “benefited him massively, making the move and just getting the time in the saddle, playing a similar type of game to Ireland anyway with that attack shape in Connacht… he's been brilliant.” 

Frawley converted the sixth and final try of Ireland’s victory over Argentina after Ronan Kelleher finished a lineout maul and in spite of Sexton mistakenly handing the replacement fly-half Prendergast’s kicking tee, much to Gibson-Park’s amusement.

"Yeah, I don't know what the craic was, what was going on there, but yeah, it was a bit of a knuckleball, wasn't it?” the scrum-half said, before adding he knew exactly what Sexton’s reaction would have been towards the delivery man had he been the kicker.

"He'd have been out of the stadium!”