Wallabies veteran Slipper set to join elusive club

Wallabies prop James Slipper has waited a “long, long time” but finally has the chance to erase the massive disappointment he felt in his last Test against the British and Irish Lions.

Slipper and recalled playmaker James O’Connor are set to join retired flanker George Smith as the only Australians in the modern era to have played in two series.

South Africa’s Morne Steyn is the only other player to have achieved the feat.

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The trio were part of the 2013 campaign, with the tourists taking game one 23-21 in Brisbane before the Wallabies levelled with a gritty 16-15 victory in Melbourne.

Slipper came off the bench in the third and deciding Test in Sydney but could do little to stop the onslaught with the rampant Lions scoring four tries as they posted a 41-16 victory.

It still stands as the most points ever scored by a Lions team in a Test match.

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The memory of that match still rankles 36-year-old Slipper, who holds the record for most Tests played by an Australian with 144 appearances.

“We put ourselves in a position to win both in Brisbane and Melbourne, but we let ourselves down massively in Sydney in that deciding game,” Slipper said.

“It’s probably what makes it really tough, is how we performed that last game and 12 years is a long, long time to wait.”

Slipper said he didn’t realise at the time the enormity of the occasion, and privilege of playing given some of Australia’s best players such as Tim Horan, Stirling Mortlock, Phil Kearns and David Pocock never took on the Lions.

“Looking back you realise how big of an occasion it is,” the ACT Brumbies workhorse said.

“Individually, I probably went into that series bit naive about how big it is so it’s a special moment having another go as not many people do it, George (Smith) being there last time, it’s just a big moment for rugby in general.”

Coach Joe Schmidt said Slipper continued to improve 15 years after making his Test debut.

“His longevity is something that is quite incredible in the game, and part of what makes Slips a little bit special is he’s always challenging himself to get better,” Schmidt said.

“He doesn’t believe that he’s quite got to the best version of himself yet, despite his many, many Tests – almost at the 150 now.

“So he’s going to keep working really hard, and that’s the expectation he has of himself and the good thing with Slipper is he has the same  expectation of his teammates.”

Slipper was delighted to see O’Connor back in the Wallabies fold for the first time since 2022 with the 35-year-old recalled following a serious neck injury to first-choice flyhalf Noah Lolesio.

O’Connor started at 10 in all three 2013 Tests.

Slipper joked he would now have someone of his vintage to hang out with.

“It’s awesome to see, he had a great year with the Crusaders, and I’m mostly happy someone else is here who has done it before,” he said.

“I’m always an advocate for getting older players in, so I’ve got some friends to hang out with, it’s good to have him back.”

The front-row stocks were further bolstered by the inclusion of giant Taniela Tupou, who thought he would miss selection after a penalty-ridden performance with the Waratahs against the Lions.

“He’ll be right the big fella,” Slipper said of Tupou.

“Nela’s had his challenges and he’s come out and voiced them throughout the year, but I think everyone here and everyone in the squad knows how important it is for our team.

“And you know, firing fit, Nela is only going to be good for us.”