Australia’s most capped Test player, James Slipper, will draw the curtain on his record-breaking international career after Saturday’s Bledisloe Cup clash against New Zealand.
Slipper, 36, joined Welsh legend 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 a full circle moment, Slipper’s Test career will finish where it started in Perth, having become Wallaby No. 843 in 2010 when he debuted as a 21-year-old off the bench against England at Subiaco Oval. Renowned for his ability to pack down on both sides of the scrum, he featured in 14 Tests in his first international season, despite having played just three Super Rugby fixtures for the Queensland Reds at the time.
Earlier this year, Slipper became just the fifth Wallaby in 126 years to play in two separate British & Irish Lions series alongside all-time greats John Thornett (1959 and 1966), Peter Johnson (1959 and 1966), Tony Miller (1959 and 1966) and George Smith (2001 and 2013) – joining Smith as just the second player to achieve the feat in the professional era.
Slipper holds the Australian record for most Test caps and is the most capped international Test prop of all-time, 14 clear of Ireland’s Cian Healy.
A Gold Coast junior, Slipper became the Wallabies’ 83rd Test captain in 2015 and has gone on to lead his country on 15 occasions. He is one of only 13 Wallabies to play 100 Tests, reaching the milestone in 2020 in a memorable 24-22 win over New Zealand at his home ground, Suncorp Stadium.
Slipper is also in exclusive company at Rugby World Cups. When selected for the Wallabies’ 2023 campaign in France – having previously been part of Australia’s 2011, 2015 and 2019 campaigns – Slipper joined George Gregan and Adam Ashley-Cooper as the only Australians to play at four separate World Cups.
Slipper was a member of Australia’s matchday 23 for the 2015 Rugby World Cup final in London and broke Gregan’s record for the most Rugby World Cup matches by an Australian in 2023 when he ran out at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard against Portugal.
Slipper eclipsed another of Gregan’s records last year: that of most-capped Wallaby. He reached the milestone against the All Blacks in Sydney last September as part of a 2024 international campaign in which he featured in nine of the Wallabies’ 13 Tests.
Australian Rugby Records held by James Slipper:
- Most capped Wallaby of all-time (150 Tests*)
- Most Rugby World Cup match appearances by a Wallaby (21 Tests)
- Equal most Rugby World Cups attended by a Wallaby (Four)
- Most capped Australian Super Rugby player of all time (198 matches*)
Wallaby number 843, James Slipper said: “Representing the Wallabies has been the single proudest achievement of my Rugby career and a privilege I have never taken for granted.
“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.
“It will also allow me to spend more quality time with my wife Kara and two young daughters Lily and Ava which is something that I owe to them after 16 years of full-time professional rugby.
“There’s plenty of people I need to thank and I’ll do that when the time is right but for now my focus is on preparing well to finish The Rugby Championship in a positive manner with the team.”
Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh said: “James has been a remarkable servant of Australian Rugby and 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.
“Everyone in Australian Rugby will be cheering James on for his final Test match and looking forward to 2026 when he proudly pulls on the Brumbies jersey once again.”
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt said: “First and foremost Slips is a great person. He’s incredibly popular in the group and is the ultimate team man.
“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.”
Position: Prop
Height: 185cm
Weight: 117kg
Date of Birth: 6 June 1989
Place of Birth: Gold Coast, Queensland
Wallaby number: 843
Test debut: 2010 v England in Perth
Test caps: 150*
Super Rugby debut: 2010 v NSW Waratahs in Brisbane (playing for the Queensland Reds)
Super Rugby caps: 198*
Wallabies 21 defeated Fiji 18 on Sunday July 6 at McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle
Wallabies 19 defeated by the British & Irish Lions 27 on Saturday July 19 at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Wallabies 26 defeated by the British & Irish Lions 29 on Saturday July 26 at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Wallabies 22 defeated the British & Irish Lions 12 on Saturday August 2 at Accor Stadium, Sydney
Wallabies 38 defeated South Africa 22 on Saturday August 16 at Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg
Wallabies 22 defeated by South Africa 30 on Saturday August 23 at DHL Stadium, Cape Town
Wallabies 28 defeated Argentina 24 on Saturday September 6 at Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville
Wallabies 26 defeated by Argentina 28 on Saturday September 13 at Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Wallabies 24 defeated by New Zealand 33 on Saturday September 27, Eden Park, Auckland
Wallabies v New Zealand at 5:45pm AWST on Saturday October 4 at Optus Stadium, Perth
Wallabies v Japan at 4:50pm on Saturday October 25 at National Stadium, Tokyo
Wallabies v England, at 2:10am AEDT on Sunday November 2 at Allianz Stadium, London
Wallabies v Italy at 4:40am AEDT on Sunday November 9 at TBC
Wallabies v Ireland at 7:10am AEDT on Sunday November 16 at Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Wallabies v France at 7:10am on Sunday November 23 at Stade de France, Paris
