James Slipper’s Instagram following might not be setting world records.

But the 35-year-old has one thing over the social media juggernaut: he’s been at the top for longer.

And in the early hours of Sunday morning (5am AEST), the knockabout father of two from the Gold Coast will equal George Gregan’s Wallabies record by running out for his 139th Test against Argentina in Santa Fe.

“It’s a proud moment for me,” the veteran Wallaby said dryly.

This, after all, is something Slipper has become used to.

Last year during the World Cup – a tournament and stage of his playing career he rated as his worst memory on the field – it became the weekly norm when Slipper’s name was read out.

“Yeah, it’s turned into a bit of a joke for the boys,” Slipper admitted. “One thing I do know is it’s going to come to an end one day. We’ll see how many I can get.”

The records and plaudits Slipper is quite rightly receiving is something however that felt an eternity away when he went through a mid-career crisis and was stood down after testing positive for cocaine.

“I remember saying at the time that I didn’t know if I was going to play again,” Slipper told reporters on Friday.

“Thinking back now, the Wallabies [probably] wasn’t a goal of mine at the time to get back into the national team. It was more about just sorting out my life and getting back playing rugby of any sort. And that was at the Brumbies.”

And play again Slipper has done, with this weekend’s fixture to be his 53rd Test since making his comeback from a 30-month absence from the international game in 2019.

“It was obviously a bit of adversity in my journey, but it probably paved the way for where I’m at now,” Slipper said.

Given the turmoil that has since followed in Australian rugby, Slipper has been one of the few constants for the Wallabies.

Indeed, since first being handed his debut cap by Robbie Deans against England in 2010, the Queensland product has played under another five Wallabies coaches, including three in as many years since 2022.

It’s something his 2011 World Cup roommate Ben Alexander simply can’t comprehend.

“I can’t believe he’s still going,” Alexander said.

“He’s a lovable bloke, great fella. Just loved playing footy. Always read the game well, unbelievable tackle.

“He’s one of those guys that just could do anything on the field. Great motor, great team man, good scrummager.

“The fact that he’s done it at such a high level for so long, it’s mind-blowing. Every time I turn on the telly, I’m like, ‘Bloody hell, Slips is still playing.’ Yeah, it just boggles my mind.”

Former Wallabies captain Stephen Moore said the fact he was a mainstay under six successive coaches told you everything you need to know about the Queenslander.

“He’s had to continuously reinvent his role in the team from being the young up-and-coming front-rower through to being the old warhorse now and the oldest statesman,” Moore said.

“There’s a lot of different roles you play between then and now, so he’s had to not only reinvent his game but probably reinvent his leadership style and the role he plays off the field around the team.

“That’s a credit to him that he’s been able to do that, and he’s had a hell of a lot of coaches through that journey. If you look at the names, it’s hard to believe really we’ve had that many coaches in 20 years, but every coach would have had him there for a specific reason, and that’s a testament to him that each coach has come in and has seen the value that he brings.”

During that time, the front-rower has seen more players come and go.

In fact, when Josh Canham comes off the bench against Los Pumas for the first time, he will be the 144th Wallaby to debut since Slipper ran on as Wallaby 843 and packed down in front of Nathan Sharpe.

So in the day and age where roughly 10 players have debuted a season since Slipper first ran on, have we taken the front-rower’s incredible durability for granted?

“I think you do, particularly in Australia,” Moore said. “We’re always talking about the next big thing coming along, and that’s great. But Slips has been there the whole time, and there’s been a lot of guys that have had a bunch of injuries.

“Angus Bell is a good example. We’ve seen how talented he is, and hopefully now he can string a run of games together, but he’s had his injuries. Taniela [Tupou] has been out. But Slips has been the one that’s been able to fill in where he’s had to and play a role for the team. That is extremely valuable to have a guy like that on the Test side, who you can rely on to do the job.

“We probably do discount that role a little bit just because we do like to hold people up in lights and look at who the big, flashy new star might be.”

So what’s changed over time?

“Things have changed massively,” Slipper quipped. “I think just the dynamic in the group, the music that’s been played has changed a fair bit over the last 15 years.

“The game itself on the field has changed. There’s been trends that have changed throughout those years. But, I guess, the core fundamentals of a rugby team haven’t changed. Hard work and working for your teammates, and those bonds you make off the field, that definitely hasn’t changed.”

Slipper remembers his first Test as well as his 100th.

On that winter’s evening in 2010 in Perth, Slipper got taught a valuable lesson: the importance of scrummaging.

“Subiaco Oval. I’ll never forget that night. I think Jonny Wilkinson was still playing. I don’t know if you know him,” said Slipper, looking across the table at his younger teammate Len Ikitau.

“It was a tough night for me. I got put on into a five-meter scrum and ended up playing both loose-head and tight-head. They ended up with a penalty try.

“It was a tough encounter, especially for me on debut. But until this day, that’s still my favourite game, even though I didn’t go that great.”

Ninety-nine Tests later and Slipper remembers his 100th encounter just as fondly, ranking it alongside the 2015 World Cup final as two of his other most memorable Tests.

“I’ve got so many favourites,” Slipper said. “It’s really hard to pinpoint one.

“It was a loss, but the World Cup final in 2015 was a really special game. Probably the top level of rugby that we can play individually and as a team. That was a big one.”

The other? “Probably my 100th cap, which was beating the All Blacks at Suncorp, so at my home stadium in front of the friends and family.”

Although Slipper said he felt “awkward” being mentioned in the same breath as Gregan, Moore said the statistics didn’t lie.

“The one thing you can never take away is a record like that,” he said.

“That is earned by the individual. It’s nobody’s opinion. It’s a very black and white thing, right?

“You don’t play that many Tests without being extremely tough physically and mentally. Greegs was the same. I think Greegs would probably say the same thing. He’d tip his hat to the longevity that Slips has displayed over a very long period of time.”

So how’s he done it?

“Physically, it’s been a challenge,” he said.

“I guess throughout my career, you start off really refreshed and really excited to train and probably don’t maximise your recovery. But it kind of flips later in the career, so just being smart about how I train, when I train, how I train, and obviously that recovery is a big thing. You’ve got to really look after yourself back at home.”

It’s that work ethic that has seen him admired by teammates across the many eras he’s played in.

“I think his greatest quality is just his dogged determination,” said former Wallabies and Reds captain James Horwill, who helped ensure he began his professional career in Queensland by meeting with the talented teen in 2009.

“He just gets it done. He doesn’t complain, doesn’t moan, doesn’t whinge. He just goes out there and does it. I think that’s what warms him to teammates that have always played with him. You speak to people, there’s an affection for Slips.”

In all likelihood Slipper will break Gregan’s record in a fortnight in Sydney when the Wallabies take on the All Blacks in the opening Bledisloe Cup fixture.

Should he do so it’s a record that will take some beating, with Allan Alaalatoa the next most capped current Wallaby with 73 Tests under his belt.

But as Horwill says, given the opportunities increasingly presenting themselves overseas, it’s a record that could be set in stone.

“I don’t know if there’ll be anyone that’ll catch him,” he said.

“We probably said no one will catch Greegs. But with the way the global game is at the moment, with players moving around and looking for opportunities offshore, the player market’s probably moving more frequently than ever before. It’s why it’s remarkable to have someone like Slips play his whole career in Australia.”

As for what his current teammates think.

“He’s just that calm older head, really experienced, there’s pretty much nothing that hasn’t happened to him a game that one of us younger guys wants to know about,” second-year hooker Matt Faessler said.

“His experience and knowledge, he’s really happy to share that. Last year before some of those camps, I think it was the first one I was going into, the night before camp he gave me a buzz just to see how I was feeling and what to expect. He looks after the younger boys but is pretty happy to give them a tap when they’re not doing the right thing.

“He debuted for the Wallabies before Instagram was invested.”