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The latest Wallabies centurions reveals what's better than playing 100 games for Australia

By Online Editors
James Slipper is seen during warm ups during the 2020 Tri-Nations match between the Australian Wallabies and the New Zealand All Blacks at Suncorp Stadium on November 07, 2020 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)

The Wallabies have bounced back from their record defeat to the All Blacks in Sydney last weekend, to win Bledisloe IV in Brisbane on Saturday.

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For Wallabies prop James Slipper, the win gives him two reasons to celebrate the night, after he became the 13th Wallaby to play 100 test matches.

Playing at a ground that he’s had plenty of history at, the former Reds captain was subbed off just before half-time with a suspected dislocation. But he received a popular reception from the Brisbane crowd as he made his way from the field.

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Wallaby post-match presser – Bledisloe Four

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Wallaby post-match presser – Bledisloe Four

Post-match, Slipper jokingly revealed that it was a dislocation on the back of “my medical degree”, but despite the pain he was in, he veteran wasn’t about to start taking away from the famous result.

“It would’ve been nice to play more minutes but at the end of the day we got the win,” Slipper said following the 24-22 win.

“That’s probably what we really needed tonight, especially off a disappointing weekend last week.”

Slipper’s road to this point hasn’t always been straight-forward.

Early in 2018, he was handed a two-month ban for testing positive twice for cocaine use. The suspension ended his Super Rugby career in Queensland.

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But after being offered a second chance with the Brumbies, Slipper has taken it with both hands. He’s not only been able to get his rugby career back on track and win a Super Rugby AU title with the Canberra outfit, but he’s been able to play his back into the Wallabies.

But even as the 31-year-old admitted, “I’m very surprised that I actually made it here.”

“I had the best week in terms of messages and videos. James Horwill was obviously a big part of my career here at the Reds and Wallabies, and I Facetimed him yesterday.

“It was a really special week and it was led by the blokes here. Just the icing on the cake tonight was getting the result.

“100 games is good but winning is better as far as I’m concerned.”

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A two-year contract extension with the Brumbies should see Slipper in and around the Wallabies for the foreseeable future, with the prop having started all four tests so far this year.

Slipper laughed off suggestions that his time playing in international rugby was nearing its end though, instead heaping praise on the potential of the Wallabies with so many new faces have donned the green and gold this year.

“I’m only 31, and as a front-rower that’s pretty young or that’s what I’ve been told. If [Greg Holmes] Holmesy is still running around, that means I’m alright.

“I’m just really excited. I’ve really enjoyed my past two years down in Canberra.

“There’s been over 10 debutants this year already. As far as direction wise for Australian rugby, I’m really excited to see those young blokes come through. We’ve just got to be more consistent.”

The Wallabies had three players make their debut at Suncorp, with Lachlan Swinton and Tom Wright starting, while Angus Bell came on as a replacement for Slipper.

Swinton was sent from the field though, becoming the first debutant in the history of Australian rugby to be given his marching orders.

Joining Slipper post-match was Wright, who described his Brumbies teammate as a great of Australian rugby. But it was the winger’s impact on the test which Slipper couldn’t help but laugh about, with Wright having scored a try on debut.

“I just can’t get over how you scored on debut. It took my 94 games.”

The former NRL five-eighth had a dream start to hsi time in the gold jersey, making an immedaite impact on the match by scoring with his first touch just two minutes in.

“That’s pretty much what dreams are made of,” Wright said.

“It sort of goes through your head at stages, how you’re going to get involved or what your first touch might look like. When it gets put on a platter like that it doesn’t get much better.

“This is the pinnacle of sport. Representing your country is extremely special for me.”

Wright was on the wrong end of a controversial incident 23-minutes into the match however, with All Blacks prop Ofa Tu’ungafasi mistiming a tackle and collecting the winger’s head with his shoulder.

“I just went and saw him [Tu’ungafasi] after the game, there was nothing personal, that’s football.

“It happened a couple of times during the game, there were a few cards flying around out there. That’s football and I had to get on with it.”

Wright was a standout for the Wallabies in attack, running for the third most metres of any player with 57.

But at times, the defensive masterclass of the other former-NRL winger in Marika Koroibete, outshone the debutant. With 30 minutes to play and the scores close, Koroibete cut down Sevu Reece who was charging towards the line; another try-saver to add to his highlight reel after one last week.

“He’s probably a little bit better than well, he’s probably the benchmark.

“He leaves absolutely no stone unturned and you see that in the way he prepares each week and the way he trains, you won’t find many blokes that train harder, work harder than him.

“Getting to play alongside him tonight was extremely special.”

After finishing the Bledisloe Cup series with one draw, two losses and a win, the Wallabies will have a week off before they face Argentina on the 21st in Newcastle.

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Jon 8 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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john 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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