James Slipper opens up on Wallabies retirement after 151 Tests

Wallabies appearances record-holder James Slipper will always pick up the phone if the national team calls, but the 151-Test veteran doesn’t expect one, insisting his decision to retire from Test rugby is the real deal.

Slipper became the first Wallaby to reach the 150-game mark in this year’s Bledisloe Cup series opener against the All Blacks at Eden Park last month. Before the reverse fixture in Perth, ‘Slips’ made the headline-grabbing retirement announcement mid-week.

Coach Joe Schmidt started Slipper at loosehead prop for the eighth and final time in 2025, facing the All Blacks at Optus Stadium. Slipper was replaced four minutes into the second half, with thousands of fans cheering and celebrating the prop’s legendary career in that moment.

While the All Blacks held on for a 14-point win, players from both sides stood side by side post-game, forming a tunnel for Slipper. The 36-year-old walked off the field in a gold jersey for the final time, bringing one of the all-time great Wallabies careers to an end.

Three weeks on from that 14-28 defeat, the Wallabies will start their Spring Tour against Eddie Jones’ Japan. It’s the start of a new era for the Wallabies, one without Slipper, but the man himself believed it was best to walk away to allow players to prepare for the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

“It’s getting hard. I’ve got two kids now and they’re pretty young so that time away from home, it’s making it very hard on top of that being old as well,” Slipper said on Kick Offs and Kick Ons, as seen on RugbyPass TV.

“Training wise, playing wise, I feel alright.

“It probably never really came to my thinking to make it to ’27. I’m a strong believer of making sure that you leave the jersey in the hands of someone coming up and I feel like we’ve got some young props that need time in the saddle so I think that’s more the priority.”

While Slipper has retired from Wallabies duty, fans will get to see the front-rower play another Super Rugby Pacific season. Slipper re-signed with the ACT Brumbies in May, meaning more records could tumble during the 2026 campaign.

Slipper is the most-capped Australian Super Rugby player of all time, but a piece of history held by Wyatt Crockett is within reach. The former Crusaders and All Blacks prop made 202 Super Rugby appearances, which Slipper is now on track to break.

“I think I might go back before [Christmas], we’re just working that out now,” Slipper explained when asked about pre-season with the Brumbies.

“To be fair, my body could actually do with the pre-season and the Brumbies are actually really good with me in terms of my body and making sure that I’m playing games and not training to a point where I can’t play.”