Typically, James Slipper got the business of his Wallabies retirement done quickly and with a minimum of fuss. Having spoken with coach Joe Schmidt at a 6.30am coffee in Perth on Monday, Slipper dropped a message in the Wallabies’ WhatsApp group: “Yeah boys, my last one. Love ya.”
“Slips doesn’t like any attention,” Allan Alaalatoa said.
The most capped Wallaby ever will run on for his 151st and last Test match on Saturday night in Perth. It will bring down the curtain on a remarkable international career for the 36-year-old prop, who debuted for the Wallabies against England in 2010.
Stats highlighting Slipper’s longevity are so abundant you have to pick highlights. From that first night – when Max Jorgensen was just five – Slipper has started in 88 Tests, come off the bench 62 times and, so far, has played 6707 minutes of Test rugby, or the equivalent of 4.6 full days.
Slipper has had 174 Test teammates, which accounts for almost 20 per cent of all capped Wallabies, dating back to 1899. And Saturday night will be Slipper’s 35th clash with the All Blacks.
In honour of his retirement, we asked 11 people from Slipper’s journey for a story or memory that best sums up the Queenslander. Here is what they said:
Rob Simmons
Best mate, and teammate at school, Super Rugby and Wallabies level
My favourite story that sums up Slips goes back to when we were both in the under-15s, playing side by side in the second row. He was already a standout talent with ball in hand and never missed the chance to remind us he’d once played No.10.
One day, we hit a front-row crisis. The coach looked around the forward pack and asked if anyone was willing to give it a go. After a pause, Slips shrugged and said with a grin, “I’ll do it, it can’t be that hard”. Then came that famous Slips giggle.
We packed down on the scrum machine. The coach had worded us up to take it easy, so Slips could find his feet. But when we hit, the machine shunted back further than it ever had before. Slips almost single-handedly moved the machine.
It still impresses me today. He showed us all his willingness to do whatever the team needed. From the very first moment I met him, he’s always put his mates and his team first.
Slips’ career has been long and decorated, but to me, what stands out most is what he’s always shown off the field as much as on it: loyalty, resilience, humility. That’s the Slips I know, the teammate to many, the friend to many, and my best mate.
Nic White
Wallabies teammate
Slips is so tough. A lot of people think he’s been blessed with no injuries, but he did his Achilles (in 2017) and played through broken ribs, among other things. The one that sticks out was in 2023 before we played South Africa in Pretoria. Slippy did his MCL on the Tuesday and it was a decent grade two injury, which was a six-to-eight-weeker. They asked if could he strap it and lock it down, and he did.
He’s out there packing down against South Africa, probably the strongest scrum in the world, with a busted MCL. No one would have known. That is the type of guy he is. He bites down on the mouthguard. He personifies toughness.
The other thing that makes me laugh is the number of times Slips drives from Canberra to the Gold Coast on his own with no music for 13 hours. Just him and his golden retriever Roger, with his arm out the window, sunnies on, in his big Toyota. He’s an introvert and that’s his happy place.
Nick Phipps
Wallabies teammate
My personal Slippy story is when I first went into the Wallabies squad for spring tour in 2010, straight out of the sevens program. I didn’t know anyone. I walked into the assembly in at Coogee and he walked straight over with his big barrel chest out, introduced himself and took me under his wing.
He showed me the ropes, introduced me to everyone, kept me out of trouble. Then he got me into a heap of trouble on tour, because he’s a man who is very fond of a few quiet beers under his Peaky Blinders cap. There isn’t a bloke who was a part of the Wallabies squad in the last 15 years who doesn’t have a similar story. “Big sexy” is everyone’s mate.
Robbie Deans
First Wallabies coach
Slips has huge respect in the game. He gets what the game is about and you have to, to achieve that sort of longevity. It is never a straight line. The game throws challenges at you. Right from his first Test match, when he came off the bench as a loosehead and a few minutes later had to switch to tighthead. And that was up against a seasoned front row. It was quite an achievement.
He is very grounded, and always was. As a young man, he came in with that mentality. You could just see it in him as a bloke. He actually still looks in great shape. But it is great Slips gets to determine how and when he finishes. Not many get to choose the ‘when’, in Test rugby. It’s a credit to him.
James Horwill
Reds and Wallabies teammate
There are so many yarns. The thing that defines him is he’s always his own person. Everyone who played with him loved him.
I remember when he blew his ankle in Hamilton before the 2011 Super Rugby final. He was so bitterly disappointed but I remember how much it meant that he stayed part of the group. He just put the team first and cared about driving us forward even though his ankle was in bits. You’d be tough to find guys who wouldn’t say good things about him as a teammate on and off the field. 151 Tests is just remarkable.
He’s not about fanfare and that’s why people respect him so much. He’s one of the most underrated players in world rugby over time. That series against England where he played both sides of the scrum … I don’t think people truly understand how hard that is.
Matt Taylor
Coached Slipper at school, Super Rugby and Wallabies level
I’ve been fortunate enough to coach Slips at The Southport School, the Reds Academy, the Reds, and the Wallabies. We won the GPS premiership in 2006 and 2007 and Slips was captain in the second year. Even as a schoolboy he was everything you’d want in a player – hardworking, humble, and tough.
Not many people know this, but Sam Whitelock spent a gap year at TSS as a boarding master straight out of school. Sam came down to help with First XV training, working with players including Slips. Who could have imagined that those two would go on to become the second- and third-most capped players in world rugby history?
Two games from that time stand out. The first was against Nudgee College (James O’Connor’s year) at Ross Oval – a venue where TSS First XV players at the time had never won. Late in the game Slips had taken a heavy knock in a tackle but refused to leave the field, staggering across the defensive line because he didn’t want to let his teammates down. We held on for a famous win. The second was the final game of the 2006 season against Brisbane State High away. It was a grand final and their side featured Matt Toomua, William Tupou, and a massive forward pack. Slips led from the front and inspired the TSS team to a famous premiership win.
Slips is an old-school bloke: teammates love playing alongside him and coaches love coaching him. More than once I caught myself thinking, I’d love to play rugby with this guy. That, to me, is the mark of a special player and person.
Michael Hooper
Wallabies teammate
It’s nearly impossible to come up with just one story for Slips. He’s a guy who doesn’t take things too seriously. But he takes his performance and representing Australia very seriously. A guy who wanted nothing more than to win and by the end of his career he was able to smell the roses.
A bloke who is extremely resilient even though he knew what he was putting himself through and what that meant long term. A guy who never thought he’d be the salty old bloke at the back of the bus to then becoming that salty old bloke at the back of the bus always complaining about the music.
A guy who, if you call his name standing behind him, has to turn 180 degrees to see you. A bloke who loves his solo time but does whatever it takes to help the team.
Daniel Herbert
Chairman of Rugby Australia
I remember back at the Reds, and Matt Taylor telling us how good this kid was. He’d coached him at school and thought very highly of James. He wasn’t from the country, but he was country tough.
He had a baby face but was very tough, and obviously had a real determination and work ethic. James is a quiet guy but typifies what it means to be a great teammate, and a great Wallaby.
John O’Neill
Former chief executive of Australian Rugby Union
I had the great privilege of presenting Slips with his first Test cap back in 2010. But my first memory of is when David Nucifora mentioned both he and Rob Simmons as exciting young players coming through. They were great mates, ended up being Wallabies No.843 and 844.
The two striking things about James is firstly his spontaneous smile and genuineness. Some young players are shy and hesitant but not Slips, he was just a naturally friendly young man who happens to be a great player. His second outstanding attribute is his ability to confront adversity and to overcome it.
Nathan Sharpe
Wallabies teammate
I was lucky enough to play in Slips first test match in Perth v England in 2010. As we prepared for the game that morning, I was doing hot and cold ice baths, this young fella strolled in and sat in The jacuzzi calm as you like. I wondered if he knew what was coming for him later that day against the English front row.
When he came onto the field with a few minutes to go I thought two things – 1) This guy was in year 1 at the same school I was at when I was in year 12 – and geez I am old. And 2) I knew he was going to be a long term Wallaby, as he had the right temperament and resilience. But I don’t think he was ever that relaxed before games anymore though. Well done Slips, it’s been an unbelievable shift.
Raelene Castle
Former chief executive officer of Rugby Australia
My lasting impression of Slips is he was a guy who would always do what was good for the team. If it was right for the team, then Slips was behind it and would give everything he had. He is selfless and determined.
Slips was always the one who would be first to grab some beers and some teammates and knock on the door of the other change room after a Test match. It is a special part of rugby, that players go hard on the field and then have that genuine camaraderie after the game, even at international level. And Slips was a great role model for the younger guys that that spirit should always be there, no matter what had gone before.
