There was a bit of confusion in the Aviva Stadium tunnel as Ireland and Wales waited to walk out before their Guinness Six Nations meeting last night.
As tradition dictates, players making milestone appearances like 50th or 100th caps usually get the honour of running out ahead of their team-mates for an extra ovation.
Ireland captain Caelan Doris could be seen turning towards his squad, trying to pick Jamison Gibson-Park out to lead the players onto the pitch, with the scrum-half reaching his half-century of appearances in green.
Gibson-Park deferred, choosing to stay nestled in his usual spot in the line-up. The centre of attention wasn't for him.
"I think there'd been enough noise already, so I was happy to take my normal role," he said, when asked why he didn't lead the sides out ahead of Ireland's 27-17 win.
The Irish supporters did eventually get their chance to give the him his ovation when he departed for debutant Nathan Doak in the final five minutes.
And the 34-year-old (above) added that it was a special feeling to reach the milestone, given his late start in Test rugby.
"I wouldn't be a massive fan of all the goings-ons, but it's part and parcel of hitting a milestone and I understand it's important to acknowledge.
"I'm a hugely grateful man to chalk up 50 caps. I was nearly 29 when I debuted for Ireland, so had you asked me then how it was all going to unfold, I really had no idea.
"So I'm pretty grateful to get to this point, for sure."
The New Zealand native moved to Leinster in 2016, qualifying for Ireland through residency, but he was by no means fast-tracked into an Ireland shirt, having to wait an extra year before he was called up by Andy Farrell.
And he admits becoming an Ireland international happened before it had even been on his radar.
"I didn't think I was in the picture, to be honest with you," he said.
"Obviously Conor Murray was at his best at that stage, [Kieran] Marmion was around, Lukey [McGrath] was in the mix, so there was a few good nines already and I probably wasn't getting the game time really to push for a spot, so it just so happened that towards the Covid year and throughout the Covid year I played a bit and got a chance."
Even when he made his debut against Italy in 2020, the idea that he would play 50 times for Ireland, win two Six Nations titles and become one of the most important players in the team never crossed his mind.
"I was probably just happy to be there," he said.
"Not a great mindset, looking back, but I didn't really think I was in the picture for a while and then got a chance, and I suppose at that time we were probably struggling as a team as well, trying to gain a bit of momentum and get things going.
"I suppose things clicked a little bit in November of 2021, that was where it really took off, but when I first got in I was just pretty stoked to be in the mix and be in the environment and be around the calibre of player and the calibre of coach."
As much as he wanted to avoid the limelight, his head coach Andy Farrell places a huge value in marking these occasions.
On Friday, the IRFU posted a heart-warming video to their social channels of Gibson-Park's wife, Patti, and his three children Iris, Isabella, Jai, congratulating their father on his international landmark (below).
To Jamison on your 50th cap. 💚 pic.twitter.com/kslAhmeW6g
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) March 5, 2026
"I didn't know it was coming," he said of that video, although he suspected something was afoot.
"So, normally I get ready to go into camp at about three or four o'clock after the day off. And my wife and the kids were leaving at the same time with Irish jerseys on and I was like, there's something fishy going on here.
"I was certainly caught on the hop [by the video], I didn't know it was coming and for sure, yeah, it was pretty emotional seeing it."
And while he tried to bottle the emotion before last night’s game, there was time to enjoy a walk on the pitch with his children after.
"I love it man," he said.
"It's pretty funny, I copped a bit of slagging, they probably spend as much time as I do out on that pitch, but it's great man, I love it.
"When I finish up and look back I think they'll be memories I cherish, so I'll lap it up every time we get to do it."
The Leinster nine played his part in Ireland’s 27-17 win, as they fought their way through a dogged Welsh side to eventually eke out a bonus-point victory, which sets up a Triple Crown decider against Scotland next week.
However, he admits both he and the team weren’t quite on the same level as they found at Twickenham a fortnight ago.
"It was a little bit scrappy," he said.
"But ultimately I think a win in the end and a bonus-point was what were looking for, so I think we have to hand a bit of credit to Wales, they were pretty good tonight and stuck it to us like we knew they would and made a proper Test match out of it.
"There's two sides to it, but we're an attacking team and if teams give us space, we want to be able to attack it, and I think probably tonight we certainly, and I probably overdid it.
"As game-drivers we probably played a little bit more than we needed to, certainly in our own area and through the middle half of the pitch.
"So there's plenty to look at, but at the same time I think there's areas we can be better at.
"We don't always just want to get to a kick, you know what I mean, but certainly I think we did overplayed a little bit, but there's areas we can improve on for sure."
