Veteran Wallabies prop James Slipper has reflected on the aftermath of James O’Connor’s wounding late misses last time out in Cape Town.

The 36-year-old front-rower was absent from the round two Rugby Championship match against the Springboks due to a concussion sustained in Australia’s round one win in Johannesburg.

Slipper failed a head check following his team’s amazing comeback victory at Ellis Park and was back home in Australia when O’Connor was wide with three late kicks in their 22-30 loss in the Cape Town rematch.

O’Connor, who was playing just his second Test match since 2022, initially missed the conversion kick that would have put his team 24-23 up with seven minutes remaining. He was then off target with two penalty attempts to secure a losing bonus point.

“He’ll kick on from that…”

Recalled to the squad ahead of Saturday’s round three clash with Argentina in Townsville, Slipper was asked if he had chatted with his fellow veteran following his missed kicks ordeal.

“I haven’t really given him any advice on the late misses, I’m probably not the player to be doing that,” he admitted. “But James coming into this group has only added for us.

“We have clearly had a few injuries in that position throughout the year. We’ve lost Noah (Lolesio), Tommy (Lynagh) and now Ben Donaldson as well at certain parts throughout the season, so James has filled the shoes really well.

“He has been around for a long time, has played across the world, so his experience has been really good for the group, and his composure and the way he leads the team around have only really helped us. We would have loved to have got those kicks, but knowing James, he’ll kick on from that for sure.”

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Slipper isn’t the only experienced Wallabies prop back in Joe Schmidt’s squad after injury. Allan Alaalatoa has also returned following the shoulder issue that curtailed his involvement in the series against the British and Irish Lions.

“It’s massive,” said Slipper about having Alaalatoa back up for selection. “Having Al back in, he is kind of like that father figure for a lot of the boys in the team. Just to have him back in the team and voicing his opinion and leading by example at training is only going to help us.

“He’s an incredible player and an incredible person. To have him back in there, a player of his calibre, will only help us for sure.”

Alaalatoa came into the international window in July, having enjoyed an unprecedented try-filled Super Rugby Pacific season with the Brumbies, a potency that didn’t go unnoticed. “He scored what, like eight tries, but they were all like one metre.

“He is a powerful player, a big man. You get a player that size close to the line, nine times out of 10, you will get him over the line. One thing about Allan, he is a consistent player. The difference between his good games and his bad games is not much, and I always look at that as a real positive for any player.”

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Saturday’s match in Townsville is set to be played in 30-degree Celsius heat, conditions that will only add to the level of the challenge posed by Argentina, who have arrived in Australia fresh from beating the All Blacks in Buenos Aires.

“Look, the opportunity for us is against Argentina, and they are well led by (Julian) Montoya. They are a team that has been preparing really well for the last couple of years. They were in the semi-finals at the World Cup, and they beat the Lions, beat the All Blacks.

“They are a classy outfit, and the opportunity for us is to prepare well and try to knock them off. One thing we do know is that it’s going to be a big ask and we have full respect for them, so we are going to do everything we can to make sure that we play well.”

Slipper’s appearance against the Springboks in Johannesburg was his 148th Test cap, drawing him level with Richie McCaw of the All Blacks as the third most capped international rugby player of all time.

Can he make the 150 milestone and draw level with the second-placed Sam Whitelock, another New Zealander? “It’s obviously a possibility, but there are no guarantees to get there,” he said.

“Probably for the last year, I have been treating every game as the last one potentially. If I get there, I get there. But more importantly, what I have been more keen about and impressed by is just where this team is going.

“The confidence we are building within our four walls. When I eventually finish up, that’s probably when I’ll look at the career entirely, and we will cross that path when we get there.”

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