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Jim Morton,
AAP
Updated November 20, 2013, 12:53 pm
James Slipper is a knockabout 24-year-old Gold Coaster who enjoys a surf, his mates and a beer.
Slipper is also pretty good rugby player. One who has now played 47 Tests for Australia - a huge amount of caps for one still yet to hit his peak as a front-rower.
The likeable prop is also among 17 Wallabies who have helped warmed the heart of coach Ewen McKenzie by making the right choice seven nights ago in Dublin.
While McKenzie stood down six players and reprimanded nine for staying out into the early hours of the morning, he didn't hide the fact he was well pleased to see that more had their priorities right by returning to their team hotel before midnight.
Even though it's hard for any Australian to knock back a chance to hit Dublin's Temple Bar precinct at any time, Slipper and 16 teammates - including nine others 25 or younger - opted to make the wise decision and stay in and recover from a hard day at training.
"At the end of the day, we're here for one job only and that's to win games on the weekend," he said in Edinburgh.
"Personally, I had my dinner and I had trained very hard that day (last Tuesday) and sleep was a No.1 factor in my decision.
"To win a game against Ireland is something which is hard to do in Dublin and I thought it was very important to do."
Australia did go on and produce their best performance of a disappointing year by scoring four tries to nil to beat Ireland 32-15.
Several of the disciplined players are understood to be upset with McKenzie's heavy-handed approach, but it's been done to recalibrate the behaviour of his squad in the build-up to the 2015 World Cup.
"It's just about fixing our bad decisions that we've been making and obviously the decisions we make should be prioritised towards winning the game on the weekend," Slipper said.
"Performance has to come first and Link (McKenzie) has put procedures there that there's no grey area anymore and that's where everyone has to be on their toes and prepare for each game."
Both Slipper and deposed skipper James Horwill, 28, denied there was a drinking culture in the Wallabies.
But the loose-head prop admitted ignoring the beers in preparation for a match was a sacrifice elite footballers should make.
"It's pretty well known that it doesn't really help with your performance," Slipper said.
"In any sport it's the sacrifices that separate the good from the very good."
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/spo...allabies-prop/
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