James Slipper to toast 'the old fella' Cian Healy on historic Dublin night

At the end of another bruising, bone-crushing afternoon, a couple of old prop idols will toast a landmark day with cold ones – an ice bath then the beers – in Dublin before offering up a toast to wondrous sporting longevity.

James Slipper in the gold of Australia and Cian Healy in the green of Ireland, 277 caps between them, will reflect on their latest scrummaging duel and, win or lose, they’ll thank their stars they’re still battling on at the toughest coalface in sport.

“I guess when you get to that sort of time in your career, it’s just really special to be able to wear that jersey because you just don’t know how many you’ve got left in you,” mused Slipper, the Gold Coast loosehead who’ll be starting his Australian record-extending 143rd international in Saturday’s (Sunday AEDT) tour-ending Test.

But the man who broke the Aussie mark in September is the first to recognise the day really belongs to his old sparring partner Healy, who’ll come off the bench to win his 134th cap in front of his adoring home crowd at the Aviva Stadium and become the most capped Irish player in history, going past the great Brian O’Driscoll.

“Yeah, the old fella, he’s still going, which is really good to see,” said Slipper, a mere stripling at 35 compared to Healy, who turned 37 last month.

“He’s a good character, been around for a very long time and well respected across the world. It’s a mighty effort to take over as the most capped Irish player, and I’m sure it’s going to be a really special night for him and his family.”

What they can both celebrate is their extraordinary staying power. Healy made his debut in a 20-20 draw with the Wallabies down the road at Dublin’s Croke Park 15 years ago, while Slipper made his bow a year later against England in Perth.

So how have they survived their brutal trade for so long?

Caelan Doris, the Ireland captain and Leicester teammate who was still at school when he first admired Healy’s barnstorming Test performances, gave an insight into the curious world of this “giant of Irish sport” who was to become his roommate.

“He’s up to all sorts of tricks in terms of his recovery,” said Doris.

“Sometimes sleeping on the ground with his legs elevated, sleeping on acupressure mats, mindfulness, even all sorts of cold showers, loads of stretching and it’s stood to him in terms of his body and the ability to stay going at this age.”

Healy’s a one-off away from the pitch too, according to Doris, with his unlikely hobbies including knife-making, rollerblading and being a “bit of a coffee snob”.

“He’s got his own unique and obscure hobbies and does his own thing off the pitch but he’s true to himself, which is a good thing.”

It all made Slipper’s explanation about his own longevity sound a bit more mundane. “Fair bit of rehab, a few oil changes here or there,” he shrugged with a smile.

“Longevity is more about being smart around your prep, your training and recovery, but you also need to push through certain injuries and niggles at times and I’m sure Heals has done plenty of that over his long career.”

They both have, which is why they deserve their post-match tipple. “Yeah, I’ll be looking out for him after the game to share that beer for sure,” said Slipper.