Slipper becomes Super Rugby's most-capped player with his 203rd game

CANBERRA, Australia — James Slipper etched his name into Super Rugby folklore on Friday night, running onto GIO Stadium for his 203rd appearance and eclipsing Wyatt Crockett’s long-standing record as the competition’s most-capped player.

The 36-year-old loosehead prop reached the milestone in the ACT Brumbies’ 33-24 victory over the visiting Chiefs, drawing a thunderous ovation from the Canberra crowd when the milestone was announced shortly after kick-off. Slipper’s journey to the record has been split between two franchises: 104 matches for the Queensland Reds and, as of Friday, 99 for the Brumbies since his 2019 move to the capital.

Crockett, whose 202 caps for the Crusaders had stood as the benchmark, praised Slipper’s durability and quality. “Honestly, after the South African teams left the competition I thought there would be less games and the record might actually be hard to beat,” the former Allad said. “So for Slips to go past it with less games (per season) is bloody impressive. Also, Slips is still playing really great footy, he could still easily play international rugby.”

Slipper retired from international duty last year after a Wallabies-record 151 Test caps, but his appetite for the weekly grind of Super Rugby remains undimmed. Should he take the field against the New South Wales Waratahs in the coming round, he will become the first player to register 100 appearances for two separate Super Rugby clubs.

With the Brumbies firmly in the hunt for a finals berth, Slipper’s experience at the coalface will be pivotal as the club eyes silverware to cap a historic individual season.