Brumbies seek milestone win for Slipper against Chiefs

March 19 : The ACT Brumbies will look to honour one of the great servants of Australian rugby on Friday by giving prop James Slipper a win in front of home fans in Canberra where he will pack down in a record 203rd Super Rugby match against the Waikato Chiefs.

The 36-year-old Queenslander will eclipse the record shared with former All Black and fellow loosehead Wyatt Crockett, who played all 202 of his matches with the powerhouse Canterbury Crusaders.

Slipper, who retired from test rugby last season with a record 151 Wallabies caps, has had no shortage of milestone matches and is keen to get this one over with after being rested for the 42-27 away defeat by Fijian Drua.

"I'm really proud of the achievement but I'd love nothing more than to get a good result," he said.

Slipper's Super Rugby career has been split roughly into two halves, having played 104 matches in nine seasons for the Queensland Reds before joining the Brumbies in 2019.

Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham can see the evergreen prop playing on in Super Rugby Pacific and even pushing for Wallabies selection at the 2027 World Cup on home soil should the country need him.

"You need a fairly strong, healthy squad going into the World Cup and I’d certainly rank him in the top three (props) in Australia at the moment," Larkham said.

SEMI-FINAL REPLAY

The Brumbies, third in the table but level on 15 points with the Wellington Hurricanes and second-placed Auckland Blues, have asked fans to wear slippers as a tribute at Canberra Stadium - but wet weather and the Chiefs could spoil the party.

Rated championship contenders, the fourth-placed Chiefs have won their last five matches against the Brumbies by an average margin of just over 18 points.

In their last meeting, the Chiefs