Wallabies' record-breaking prop Slipper to retire after All Blacks test

MELBOURNE :Australia's most-capped test player James Slipper will retire from international rugby following the final Rugby Championship clash against New Zealand on Saturday, bringing the curtain down on a record-breaking 16-year career.

The 36-year-old prop earned his 150th cap last week in the 33-24 defeat by the All Blacks in Auckland, becoming only the third player to reach the milestone after Wales' Alun Wyn Jones (171) and New Zealand's Sam Whitelock (153).

Slipper will end his Wallabies career where it began – in Perth – having made his debut off the bench as a 21-year-old against England in 2010.

"Representing the Wallabies has been the single proudest achievement of my rugby career and a privilege I have never taken for granted," he said in a Rugby Australia statement on Wednesday.

"As a young kid on the Gold Coast playing backyard footy with my brothers, it was a dream to pull on the gold jersey, and to be able to say I've lived my dream for what's coming on 16 years is more than I could ever have asked for.

"It feels like the right time for me to step away from test rugby. There’s a number of good young props coming through who will need time in the saddle leading into what's going to be an unbelievable experience of a home Rugby World Cup in 2027."

'ULTIMATE TEAM MAN'

The most-capped test prop of all time, Slipper became just the fifth Wallaby to play in two separate British & Irish Lions series when selected for the 2-1 loss to Andy Farrell's team this year.

He became the third Australian to play in four World Cups at the 2023 tournament in France, following George Gregan and Adam Ashley-Cooper.

Apart from his resilience, successive Wallabies coaches have valued Slipper's leadership as both a captain and mentor to