Greg Holmes’ bull neck and broad back have enabled him to outlast 13 Wallaby props in Super Rugby since he made his own debut way back in 2005.
His love of the game and competitive attitude have nourished those physical attributes to the point he will play his 150th Super Rugby game on Saturday night.
That he reaches the rare milestone for the Western Force against his old team on his favourite patch at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium is perfectly fitting.
When Holmes waved farewell at the Queensland Reds in 2016, everyone imagined it was a final goodbye as he headed to Exeter Chiefs in England.
It is an astonished show of longevity in the most attritional of positions that the 37-year-old forward has found a new burst of desire.
He never wanted to retire with a whimper as a non-player last year while the COVID-19 pandemic was forcing a five-month postponement in the English Premiership.
A short-term deal with the Force has turned into something more in 2021 because he’s performing beside fellow grey nomads Rob Kearney, 34, Jeremy Thrush, 35, and Richard Kahui, 35.
“It’s a huge honour...not a lot of guys make it to 150,” Holmes said.
“Being back at Suncorp Stadium is very special because I’ve great memories there and it’s pretty much where I was brought up.
“It’s sheer luck for it to fall there and even to be playing against the Reds is something I’m proud of.”
Holmes always imagined the family spud farm at Allora in Queensland would be his life one day but the Force is bending his thinking even on that.
“I honestly thought that’s where I’d finish up until I spent a few months in Perth. I could definitely see myself staying in WA. It’s a great place to be,” Holmes said.
“One of the first things I did was get my boat trucked over (from Queensland) to WA. I spend a far bit of time on the water.
“The sharks are a bit bigger over this way, that’s the only thing.”
The avid fisherman feels he’s hooked a good program at the Force where he sees bigger things ahead.
“It’s been tough going for the Force being out of the comp and coming back in,” Holmes said.
“Obviously, there’s some rebuilding. It’s quite clear to see by anyone in WA, who has been around the club, what a lot of people have put in with recruiting, time, money and effort.
“It’s not just to build a good Super Rugby team but a good Academy and a whole program.”
Getting results still has to oil the whole operation.
Holmes revealed his Suncorp Stadium farewell might have been last year if he’d taken a different decision on a hand injury against the Reds.
“I broke a few bones in my hand and there was definitely a chance it could have been my last game right there,” Holmes said.
“I had conversation with the surgeon the day after that game. I had to get a bone graft out of my wrist so I was probably leaning to not playing again because I didn’t want to lose full use of my thumb.”
Holmes got the hand working again and he’s thoroughly enjoying the generation gap in the Force dressing room.
“It does keep you feeling young, it absolutely does,” Holmes said.
“There are some real characters here. It’s an interesting change room with a few of us old blokes getting around and the way all the young guys act.
“There’s bit of music played I’ve never heard of. You’ve just got to join in.”
The Holmes record is impressive even though constantly underestimated.
He played 27 Tests and at the 2007 and 2015 Rugby World Cups. No Wallaby has ever had such a gap between caps...seven years, nine months and 19 days.
He credits diving as a spear fisherman as the obscure reason that helped turn him into a better prop during that period.
“I took up free diving (around 2010) and the way it built up my lung capacity really made a difference in the way I could finish games more strongly,” Holmes said.
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“The ocean and pressure on the body is great for recovery so there was something there with keeping me feeling fresh and fit.”
He shared the 2011 Super Rugby final triumph with the Reds when he locked down the scrum against the Crusaders’ All Blacks front-row.
Holmes does feel the effects of his body-jolting profession if you press a little more.
"In my first two seasons at the Reds, I didn't have to strap anything and I didn't know who the physio was," Holmes said.
"I need a good hot shower every morning to get the lower back going these days."
Greg Holmes, farmer, fisherman, Force prop...a worthy milestone man.
And those Wallabies props he's outlasted in Super Rugby? Try David Fitter, Rodney Blake, Guy Shepherdson, Benn Robinson, Ben Alexander, Sekope Kepu, Pek Cowan, Salesi Ma'afu, Ben Daley, Dan Palmer, Paddy Ryan, Laurie Weeks and Toby Smith.
