The Slipper conundrum: How do you celebrate a guy who breaks every record but hates the spotlight?
It’s the sporting equivalent of the age-old Christmas conundrum: what do you get the person who has everything?
What milestone keepsake should be presented to Brumbies prop James Slipper after he plays his 203rd Super Rugby game in Canberra this weekend?
That was a subject of conversation at Super Rugby Pacific head office recently, when planning was under way for Slipper’s imminent move to the top of the list for most Super Rugby games. In the Brumbies’ clash with the Chiefs at GIO Stadium on Saturday night, the 37-year-old prop will pass New Zealand prop Wyatt Crockett, who played 202 games for the Crusaders between 2006 and 2018.
With serendipitous timing, the feat falls on the same day as the Golden Slipper.
But Slipper’s record appearance is also the latest in a series of significant milestone games in recent years, including – but not limited to – his 150th Test, becoming the most capped Wallaby in 2024, his 150th Super Rugby game in 2023 and his Wallabies retirement last year (although that one may have an asterisk).
Along with boxes of commemorative T-shirts, each milestone has been accompanied by a post-game presentation to Slipper, be it a cap, a ball in a glass case, a jersey in a case or even a corner flag in a case.
So Super Rugby officials wondered what they could present Slipper on Saturday that he hadn’t yet received, probably in multiples. There was some contemplation of a useful item, like the Wests Tigers’ well-intended but ultimately pilloried gift of a $1000 barbecue to Luke Brooks, before a silver trophy and jersey in a case was settled on.
Crockett knows the routine. He has a similar collection.
“Yeah I’ve got a few of those things gathering dust in a storage shed somewhere,” Crockett said.
“And I’ve got a few bits and pieces displayed in my garage; I have bit of a man cave out there. It’s a place for the kids to see them, so that’s pretty cool I guess.”
Though they don’t know each other well, those who know Crockett and Slipper say the record is passing between kindred souls. Crockett will fly in to Canberra to present Slipper with his loot.
The duo earned wide respect as tough, humble and hard-working props: Crockett with the Crusaders and the All Blacks; and Slipper with the Reds, Brumbies and Wallabies. The pair clashed many times in Super Rugby and in Test football, with Crockett enjoying the upper hand in a decade of Kiwi dominance. Slipper won a Super Rugby title at the expense of the Crusaders in 2011, but Crockett won three and multiple Bledisloe Cups in one of strongest All Black eras ever. The 43-year-old, who is now a real estate agent in Nelson, only lost four times as an All Black, and once held the record for 45 straight Test wins.
“All I’ve heard is that he’s just a real good bugger, real humble,” Crockett said. “You don’t see much of him outside of playing footy, does his own thing, and I suppose we are quite similar in that respect. It sounds like he’s a really loved team member and just one of those guys that gets out there and does the business, and you don’t see or hear too much of him.”
And therein lies the irony of Slipper’s increasingly regular moments in the spotlight, and those for Crockett before him. One of the shared reasons behind their long careers is humble, attention-spurning personalities.
With each milestone and week dedicated to him, Slipper has fronted media and said while grateful, he’s pretty keen for the game to be played and the limelight to pass.
“Oh mate, it gets quite awkward actually,” Crockett said. “It feels like every second week they’re talking about you, and it gets pretty awkward. Especially for myself. I was probably a little bit different to Slips. At the end of my career I was on the bench and I was a part of the team, I was a cog, but in my opinion I wasn’t a critical member. But getting all these accolades, I found it quite awkward and just wish they’d stop talking about you.”
Slipper may not be done yet, either. The 37-year-old is in such good form for the Brumbies, coach Stephen Larkham believes he could still play for the Wallabies, and he’s keen to have Slipper go around again in Super Rugby next year in Canberra.
Slipper retired from Test rugby last year on 151 Test caps, the third highest of all time. If he was convinced to come out of retirement for the Wallabies, the record of Wales lock Alun Wyn-Jones is 170 caps.
That’s 19 Tests away, and the Wallabies will play a minimum of 24 Tests in the next two years. The milestone conundrum may not be over just yet.
Iain Payten is a senior sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.