James Slipper is one of few players more comfortable putting his head in the middle of a scrum than talking about his honours.
"It doesn't sit natural with me," Slipper said when asked about tying George Gregan's mark of 139 caps for Australia.
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"I grew up watching rugby and watching most of those players play the game and play in the Wallabies jersey, and in particular those early 2000s and 1990s players, they're the ones that I grew up watching and idolising."
It's a reality Slipper must get used to after being named in the squad to face Argentina on Sunday, sending him tied top and sixth overall.
"It's a proud moment for me," he said.
"It's one of those things you set out in your career and you don't really expect to get that many games so I'm very lucky. I feel like I've had a lot of luck and my timing's been good and a lot of hard work's gone into it."
Slipper's longevity for a prop is something to be admired and even poked fun of by teammates.
"I think he debuted for the Wallabies before Instagram was invented," hooker Matt Faessler joked.
Three months to be exact, with Slipper debuting in June 2010 against England, four months before the app was founded.
"Subiaco Oval, I'll never forget that night. I think Johnny Wilkinson was still playing, believe it or not. It was a tough night for me," Slipper recalled on that game.
"I got put on into a five-minute scrum and ended up playing both loose head and tight and they ended up with a penalty try. It was a tough encounter, especially for me on debut but it still my favourite game, even though I didn't go that great."
Slipper's teammates can joke all they want about his age but it comes from a place of respect for a man who is so quick to welcome the next generation in and make them feel comfortable.
"He's just that calm, older head, really experienced. There's pretty much nothing that hasn't happened to him in a game or something that one of us younger guys doesn't want to know about," Faessler said.
"Last year before some of those camps, I think it was the first camp I was going into the night before he gave me a buzz just to see how I was feeling, what to expect. He looks after the younger boys, but also is pretty happy to give them a tap when they're not doing the right thing.
"He loves a joke and keeps it light-hearted. Can't speak highly enough of him."
It’s a remarkable feat when you consider the hurdles Slipper had to overcome after personal and injury issues derailed his 2017 and 2018.
"I remember saying at the time that I didn't know if I was going to play again," Slipper said.
"I guess thinking about it now, probably the Wallabies wasn't a goal of mine at the time, to get back into the international team.
"It was more about just sorting out my life and getting back playing rugby of any sort. And that was at the Brumbies.
"I look back now, it was obviously a bit of adversity in my journey, but it's probably paved the way for where I'm at now.”
