REDS SKIPPER’S ANZAC HEROES
PRIDE in the Anzac tradition hits Reds skipper James Slipper on multiple levels but none more personal than his first dawn service as a five- year- old.
The shadowy figures around Brisbane’s Anzac Square towered over him that morning as he paid his respects to the great- grandfather who enlisted in two world wars.
In the years since, Slipper has learnt what that respect really means, and all Private Daniel Archibald McIntyre stood for by enlisting at 19 in the final months of the Great War.
Wearing the Rising Sun emblem of the Australian Defence Force on his Reds jersey for Sunday’s clash against New Zealand’s Hurricanes at Sun- corp Stadium is no small honour.
“Anzac Day is close to my family’s heart as it is to all Australians and New Zealanders,” Slipper said.
“As a rugby player you do a lot of travelling and every time you get home you realise how good we do have it in Australia.
“A lot of that comes down to the sacrifices of blokes like my great- grandfather and thousands like him.
“I remember the exact spot where I stood as a little fella with dad for that dawn service,” he said.
“You don’t really understand what it all means until years later but you do feel the respect from the first moment.
“My great- grandad from Townsville tried to enlist at 16 but his parents wouldn’t let him until he was older. When World War II came around he enlisted a second time at 40.”
There was a wonderful moment before kick- off in Wellington last year when the same two teams played on the Anzac weekend.
Rival skippers James Horwill, whose decorated great grandfather Edward fought in World War I, and Conrad Smith linked arms and their teams when a bugler played The Last Post.
Impressive All Black Smith made an emotional visit to Gallipoli with his wife Leanne in 2012 when the repetitiveness of the tender ages on the gravestones really rocked him.
He said it was fitting to play an Aussie- Kiwi contest on Anzac weekend: “I think all the guys appreciate that.”
Slipper said the lift in confidence generated by the 18- 17 victory over the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein last weekend was powerfully bellowed in the dressing room.
“There was a lot of pride when we belted out the team song and for some of the new guys it was the first time they’d been able to after a win,” Slipper said.
It certainly was for fullback Karmichael Hunt who made a wonderful try- saving tackle to partly make up for the dire grubber- kicking disease he caught on the South African tour.
Many of the Hurricanes’ attacks stem from kick- returns so cutting off Hunt’s right foot to negate that stupefyingly bad option is the last resort if he doesn’t get the message.
Forceful defence to blunt a classy Hurricanes side which has out- attacked the Reds 26 tries to 14 this season can’t be the Queenslanders’ only plan.
“It’s important we play our own game and run at them too,” Slipper said.