You learn early that old bull James Slipper is never going to give himself a back slap so Brumbies teammate Nic White did the worthy job for him to celebrate No.150.
The humble prop has never been one for braggadocio. He’s always been happiest as just a drummer in the band.
He’s been striking all the right chords at scrum and lineout time plus his charges in general play still have their venom. There’s a deft little pass or two out the back as well plus all the unseen labour that only teammates fully appreciate.
Slipper is delighted to reach 150 Super Rugby games against the Fijian Drua on Saturday night with the added bonus that Suncorp Stadium is just up the highway from his family tribe on the Gold Coast.
“Phenomenal. I can’t think of a more committed and deserving guy to get 150 and up there in Queensland where he’s from,” halfback White said.
“He absolutely puts his head in the spokes and puts his body on the line for the team.
“I think the other thing that sums up ‘Slips’ is all those Tests (114) for one try. Whilst it feels like we are taking the piss out of him, it’s what he’s all about. It's the no-frills stuff.
“He puts his head where it shouldn’t be, he’ll make the important cleanout not the important carry, he’ll make sure the scrum is prepared. The stuff that people and commentators don’t see but we do is the reason he’s so valued by teammates and coaches.
“He’s an ultimate team player.”
The Brumbies share that delight. There was never any hesitation in offering the ageless warrior a one-season contract extension for 2023 which will take him to five years in Canberra.
Life in the national capital is a second life for Slipper after more than 100 Super Rugby games over nine seasons for Queensland.
He might not still be playing but for the shift to play in the capital in 2019. It’s where he rekindled his love of the game and pushed beyond his demons.
Niggling injuries took away his identity as a top prop in Queensland where his playing weight dipped under 110kg and his strength was compromised.
Brumbies coach Dan McKellar, an old prop, was in his corner immediately in Canberra. Slipper showed how much he wanted this comeback by not moping and ripping into private training.
He no longer copped banter as a "fat backrower" because he was jolting opposition props with a fulsome 118kg frame again.
Slipper, 33 in June, has been at this Super Rugby caper since 2010 when he was a cherubic, unscarred young prop rushed into a Queensland Reds side at 20.
He’s seen it all...the highs and the very lows. He cops banter as “Old Bull” in his favourite vest all the time around the Brumbies but relishes the underlying meaning that he might be able to pass on a few things to the young bucks.
His regular roommate on tour is young hooker Billy Pollard, just 20 and a Wallaby of the future if he learns everything it takes, on and off the field.
Playing 150 games in Super Rugby Pacific normally means you’ve gone to a fully-shaved look on top like Stephen Moore and Nathan Sharpe or enjoyed an overseas stint along the way like Greg Holmes, George Smith and Kurtley Beale.
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Slipper has been a home body all this time but with plenty enough touring to all rugby ports with the Wallabies.
What does 150 games mean to him?
“To be honest, I’ve not thought about it too much,” Slipper said.
Sure, sure. That’s another of his ways of saying he’s super proud but I don’t want to sound like a big-noter.
“It’s obviously a special week for me and just another reminder of how old I am," Slipper said.
“The boys give me a bit of stick and you only feel older because we’ve got young guys born in the 2000s (like Pollard a 2001 baby).
“I’ll bring up five years in Canberra next year. It feels like yesterday I arrived. I’ve got the best out of my rugby at the Brumbies but I’ve also enjoyed Canberra itself.”
As ever, Slipper’s barometer on a milestone is simple. You get the win and you celebrate as a team.
