Slipper's path to Wallaby record is anything but golden

SPOTLIGHT: Wallabies warhorse James Slipper is set to equal George Gregan as Australia’s most-capped player but his path to the record has been anything but golden.

The 35-year-old will match Gregan’s mark of 139 Tests, set back in 2007, when he runs on against the Pumas in their Rugby Championship clash in Argentina this weekend.

Already the world’s most-capped prop, barring injury Slipper will be officially celebrated as the most-capped Wallabies player when Australia faces the All Blacks in two Tests later this month.

While former scrumhalf Gregan was part of the halcyon era of Australian rugby, that included the 1999 World Cup triumph, prop Slipper has had a tougher time.

Since making his debut in 2010, Slipper has survived six Wallaby coaches and never lifted the World Cup or even the Bledisloe Cup in the annual battle against New Zealand.

He was suspended and fined for two months back in 2018 after twice testing positive for cocaine, battling mental health issues following a serious family illness and his own traumatic injury with a ruptured achilles.

Cut from the Reds, Slipper shifted to the Brumbies for a fresh start and a year later returned to the Wallabies fold, where he has been a constant through the turmoil including last year’s World Cup horror show.

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14 years of Slips 📸#Wallabies #TRC2024 pic.twitter.com/MM4EHW2V6O

— Wallabies (@wallabies) September 7, 2024

“I remember saying at the time that I didn’t know if I was going to play again and I guess thinking back now, probably the Wallabies wasn’t a goal of mine at the time, to get back into the international team,” Slipper said from Sante Fe, ahead of Saturday’s Test.

“It was more about sorting out my life and getting back playing rugby of any sort and that was at the Brumbies.

“I look back now, it was obviously a bit of adversity in my journey but it’s probably paved the way for where I’m at now.

“It’s one of those things you set out in your career and you don’t really expect to get that many games so I’m very lucky, I feel like I’ve had a lot of luck.”

Growing up on the Gold Coast watching the likes of Gregan and other luminaries such as John Eales and Michael Lynagh, Slipper felt uncomfortable to be included among the game’s greats.

“It’s a little bit awkward, it doesn’t sit naturally with me,” he said.

“Those early 2000s, 1990s players, they’re the ones that I grew up watching and idolising and obviously, Gregan was a part of that group.

“Just being mentioned alongside him is pretty special, in my opinion.”

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Slipper ranked his first Test, a loss to England in 2010 in Perth, as one of his favourite memories alongside his 100th, when the Wallabies beat the All Blacks in front of family and friends in Brisbane.

“The worst would probably have to be … I think the World Cup last year,” the father of two said of the debacle under then coach Eddie Jones.

“I reckon you can pick any of those games and it would be pretty tough to pass.”

Able to play both tighthead and loosehead made Slipper hugely valuable but Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt said the no-frills Queenslander offered plenty off the field, albeit quietly.

“He’s really humble and just gets on with the job,” Schmidt said of Slipper, who has captained the team 15 times.

“He’s massively invested in the Wallabies, and his efforts, no matter where you are or what the requirement is, he’s just really keen to do what’s best for the team and that stands out whenever I have conversations with him.

“He spoke to the boys before the Test match last weekend and spoke really well and because he doesn’t speak often, I think the words resonate just a little bit more.”

Long-time Brumbies and Wallabies teammate Allan Alaalatoa said Slipper “walked the walk”.

“He’s massive for our group,” said the fellow prop.

“The best thing about him is that he walks the talk and is someone who always leads by his actions on the field and at training.

“He’s like a fine wine. He’s still going well, the big man. He’s got plenty more Tests to come.”

Having extended his Wallabies contract, Slipper will hope to cap his career with a series win against the British and Irish Lions in 2025, 12 years after being part of Robbie Deans’s Wallabies who lost 1-2 to the tourists.

Before that he’s looking to help the Australian team recapture some of its lustre and give long-suffering fans something to celebrate with more Rugby Championship wins, and maybe even a Bledisloe.