Wallabies veteran James Slipper to retire after reaching 150 test matches for Australia
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PERTH, Australia (AP) — Just days after playing in his 150th test for Australia, Wallabies prop James Slipper said Wednesday he will retire after his 151st — Saturday’s Bledisloe Cup match against New Zealand.
The 36-year-old Slipper joins Welsh player Alun Wyn Jones (171) and New Zealand’s Sam Whitelock (153), in becoming just the third player to reach 150 tests when he ran out in Auckland last week in Australia’s 33-24 loss to the All Blacks at Eden Park.
Slipper’s international test career will finish where it started in Perth, Western Australia, site of Saturday’s match, where he debuted in 2010 as a 21-year-old off the bench against England at Subiaco Oval.
Local media reported that Slipper may continue to play Super Rugby with the ACT Brumbies despite the fact his international career would end after Saturday’s match in Perth.
A Gold Coast junior in Queensland state, Slipper became the Wallabies’ 83rd test captain in 2015 and has led Australia 15 times.
When Slipper was selected for the Wallabies’ 2023 World Cup campaign in France — having previously been part of Australia’s 2011, 2015 and 2019 campaigns — he joined George Gregan and Adam Ashley-Cooper as the only Australians to play at four World Cup tournaments.
“Representing the Wallabies has been the single proudest achievement of my rugby career and a privilege I have never taken for granted,” Slipper said in a Rugby Australia statement.
“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.”
Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh said Slipper “will go down in history as one of the most durable, dependable and respected players to ever pull on a test jersey anywhere in the world.”
“To reach the milestones he has across 16 professional seasons, particularly as a front rower, is testament to his professionalism and the way he goes about his work,” Waugh added.
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AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby