‘The difference isn’t that big’ – Gibson-Park on Byrne replacing Sexton

May 19, 2023
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Ultimate Rugby

Leinster Rugby miss fly-half Johnny Sexton’s immense quality and experience, but Ross Byrne has slotted in his role more or less seamlessly, according to scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park.

The Irish province are without influential captain Sexton through injury as they gear up for their seventh Heineken Champions Cup final – against Stade Rochelais in Dublin on Saturday – a player who featured in their previous six showpiece games and helped them to the title on four occasions.

Ross Byrne has filled Sexton’s number 10 shirt for much of this season, tallying 81 points in seven Heineken Champions Cup games, and half-back partner Gibson-Park maintains that despite minor stylistic differences, there have been few issues with the change.

“It’s just different isn’t it” he said. “Two different guys, between him and Ross, although they have similarities in their games, it’s just a little bit different.

“We’ve managed OK so far – he’s been out for a little while and Ross has played all our games in the [Heineken] Champions Cup this year, so we’ve adjusted a little bit to life without [Sexton].

“He’s been such a big part of Leinster over the past years and he’s an unbelievable player, so we miss him massively, but I think Ross has done a pretty good job up to this point.

“The difference isn’t that big. The two of them are brilliant communicators, which obviously makes my job easier. They’re both brilliant kickers and pretty all-round class players, so I’m grateful to play next to both of them.”

Gibson-Park has also enjoyed a prosperous Heineken Champions Cup campaign, scoring two tries in the knockout stage, but his La Rochelle counterpart Tawera Kerr-Barlow, whom he faced regularly as a youngster in New Zealand, will pose a significant challenge this weekend.

“I wouldn’t say I know him well, but I’ve played a little bit of footy against him over the years,” Gibson-Park said. “He’s forged out a pretty awesome career for himself and he’s going really well at the moment – he’s a mainstay in that La Rochelle team and he’s playing brilliant footy.

“He’s central to all the good stuff that they do and I’m looking forward to coming up against him, hopefully.”

La Rochelle have beaten Leinster twice in the previous two Heineken Champions Cup campaigns – in the 2021 semi-finals as well as in last year’s final in Marseille – but Gibson-Park pointed out that his team will be buoyed by a sell-out crowd at the Aviva Stadium this time around.

“They’re a very good team and they obviously got the better of the us the last two times,” he said. “There are things we have to improve on and put a better performance in.

“There’s no shying away from the fact that they’re a very good team, very well drilled and they’re playing well at the moment as well so it’s going to be a tough challenge for us.

“It’s finals rugby and it’s win or die. It’s small margins. We’ll be chasing the performance and that’s the most important thing for us, to try and get that right.

“We won’t be changing things drastically. You’ve got to be smart around how you attack them.

“Last year was tough, having to go away to France and play a French team. The La Rochelle fans were out in force like they always are.

“I’m sure there’ll be a few of them that show up to the Aviva Stadium, no doubt, but it was a pretty big carrot for us at the start of the year, the fact the final was going to at the Aviva.”

Gibson-Park admitted that there is “maybe a little bit” of added pressure on Leinster to clinch the Heineken Champions Cup after they lost to inter-provincial rivals Munster Rugby in the BKT United Rugby Championship semi-finals last weekend, but assured they have already moved on from that setback.

“We’re well aware of the challenge that’s coming round the corner and Munster was a little bit disappointing,” he added.

“But we have to move on pretty quickly. The fact that it’s only a week later, we don’t have time to sit around and dwell on things.”