James Slipper is back in the gold jersey — and a record fifth Rugby World Cup appearance might just be on the cards. The 151-Test Wallabies prop, who retired to considerable fanfare at the end of last year’s Rugby Championship in Perth, has rejoined the Australian training camp in Sydney this week. At 37 years old, the most-capped player in Australian rugby history is putting himself forward for the opening three Nations Championship fixtures in July, and he is not closing the door on extending that run all the way through to the 2027 World Cup.
James Slipper’s Fifth Rugby World Cup Ambition Fuelled by Injury Crisis
The circumstances that brought Slipper back into the fold are straightforward — Australia’s loosehead stocks have taken a battering. Brumbies prop Blake Schoupp faces four to six months on the sidelines after suffering a Lisfranc injury in the quarterfinal defeat to the Hurricanes. Angus Bell only recently returned from an ankle complaint, Western Force’s Tom Robertson has been plagued by a calf problem all season, and the Waratahs’ Tom Lambert has battled a knee injury. That chain of misfortune forced outgoing coach Joe Schmidt to look beyond his established options towards Isaac Kailea, Aiden Ross, and now Slipper himself.
Speaking to media at camp on Tuesday, Slipper admitted the whole situation had built gradually. “It wasn’t necessarily from the first phone call like ‘I’m definitely coming back’,” he said. “It was more to and fro.” Schmidt had maintained regular contact — roughly fortnightly — with the veteran throughout the season, and conversations shifted from general catch-ups to a potential comeback once Bell went down. The relationship clearly helped. “He’s a good man and I call him a friend,” Slipper said of the outgoing head coach.
Furthermore, the numbers attached to a potential World Cup appearance are staggering. Should Slipper pull on the jersey in Perth against Hong Kong China in 2027, he would become the first Australian to feature at five World Cups. Along the way, he could also surpass Wales legend Alun Wyn Jones’ record of 170 Test caps, currently the most in rugby history. Canada’s Rod Snow holds the record as the oldest prop to appear at a World Cup, at 37 years and 149 days — Slipper would pip that mark by just 33 days if selected for the opener.
Wallabies Rebuilding Phase Makes Nations Championship Start Critical
The timing of Slipper’s return adds another layer of complexity to an already delicate period for Australian rugby. Schmidt hands over to Les Kiss after the first leg of the Nations Championship in July, meaning the squad must absorb a coaching transition mid-cycle, less than fourteen months out from the tournament. Australia open the competition against Ireland at a sold-out Allianz Stadium in Sydney, before facing France in Brisbane and Italy in Perth — the same three nations who dismantled them on a nightmare northern hemisphere tour that ended with four consecutive defeats and left them branded the worst Australian touring side to Europe in 67 years.
Slipper, however, sees that brutal schedule as exactly the preparation the Wallabies need. “You get a kind of trial run at it this year,” he said, pointing to Italy’s destructive scrum performances against Ireland and England during the Six Nations as evidence that nobody should be taken lightly. Nevertheless, he was clear-eyed about his own situation. “I need to earn that. I need to be playing well, and I’ve got to be a better option than other loosies in the country at the time.”
There were personal considerations too. Family camping trips shelved, lengthy conversations with his wife, and the uncomfortable thought of revisiting the emotional send-off he received after his apparent final Test against the All Blacks last year. “I don’t want another send-off like that,” he admitted. “I feel like I’ve had my one go, and players only deserve one.” For a bloke who hates the spotlight, the rugby world is watching his every move regardless. One thing is certain — James Slipper is not done yet.
