Source: Reuters

Australia’s most-capped test player James Slipper will retire from international rugby following the final Rugby Championship clash against New Zealand on Saturday, bringing the curtain down on a record-breaking 16-year career.

The 36-year-old prop earned his 150th cap last week in the 33-24 defeat by the All Blacks in Auckland, becoming only the third player to reach the milestone after Wales’ Alun Wyn Jones (171) and New Zealand’s Sam Whitelock (153).

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Slipper will end his Wallabies career where it began – in Perth – having made his debut off the bench as a 21-year-old against England in 2010.

“Representing the Wallabies has been the single proudest achievement of my rugby career and a privilege I have never taken for granted,” he said in a Rugby Australia statement on Wednesday.

“As a young kid on the Gold Coast playing backyard footy with my brothers, it was a dream to pull on the gold jersey, and to be able to say I’ve lived my dream for what’s coming on 16 years is more than I could ever have asked for.

“It feels like the right time for me to step away from test rugby. There’s a number of good young props coming through who will need time in the saddle leading into what’s going to be an unbelievable experience of a home Rugby World Cup in 2027.”

‘ULTIMATE TEAM MAN’

The most-capped test prop of all time, Slipper became just the fifth Wallaby to play in two separate British & Irish Lions series when selected for the 2-1 loss to Andy Farrell’s team this year.

He became the third Australian to play in four World Cups at the 2023 tournament in France, following George Gregan and Adam Ashley-Cooper.

Apart from his resilience, successive Wallabies coaches have valued Slipper’s leadership as both a captain and mentor to younger players.

He first captained Australia in 2015 and has led the nation 15 times.

“First and foremost Slips is a great person. He’s incredibly popular in the group and is the ultimate team man,” said Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt.

“I know how much representing the Wallabies means to him and his record speaks for itself with the number of milestones he has achieved at the highest level of the game.”

So we have a great Washington, D.C. We, as you probably know, we’re going into Memphis and we’re going into some other cities, and very soon we’re going to go into Chicago.

Slipper’s career has had its low points and was almost derailed in 2018 when he was suspended for two months after twice testing positive for cocaine.

He was released by the Queensland Reds after nearly a decade with the club but revived his career with the Canberra-based ACT Brumbies and was soon back in the Wallabies squad.

Arguably his greatest regret is shared with the various Wallabies teams who failed to win back the trans-Tasman Bledisloe Cup from New Zealand, holders since 2003.

Scott Robertson’s All Blacks locked away the trophy for another year at Eden Park last week during Slipper’s milestone match.

The Perth test is a dead rubber for the Bledisloe but there is all to play for in the Rugby Championship.

Australia can claim the title with a victory over the All Blacks so long as Argentina beat South Africa at Twickenham.

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