Loyal to the end

In many ways, Gordon Slater is the last man standing - the old-fashioned rugby servant unwittingly hijacking the new-fangled adidas ad campaign of the same name. The only difference is Slater plays bullrush with real bulls.

Slater is one of a dying breed - traditional blokes who play rugby for the love of it and fit the game around their everyday life. While others see themselves like stocks on the sharemarket that need to be cashed in by heading overseas, Slater is comfortable with the life he's carved out as a rugby-playing dairy farmer on the plains of Taranaki.

It comes as no surprise, then, that in this era of commercialism the loyal Taranaki prop is the only player who will face the Lions on this tour having played them in 1993.

The statistic brings something of a chuckle from Slater. It's something he feels pretty good about but it's also something that makes him feel all of his 33 years.

"I guess I'm just lucky enough that my career has worked out that way and that because I'm still fit I can still play," he said with a hint of nostalgia in his voice. "I feel a bit old because 12 years is a long time between games and, while there's a bit more wear and tear, there's no difference in terms of fitness."

In 1993, a fresh-faced 21-year-old prop packed down for Taranaki against the might of England's Jason Leonard in their 49-25 loss to the Lions. Although he remembers little of that game other than they were well beaten, he says in his understated way that they held their own in the front row.

Slater had already been making waves in New Zealand rugby having made his debut for Taranaki two years previously and turning out for the New Zealand Colts in 1991.

All Black trials, divisional squads and development tours soon followed which clearly showed he was being groomed for the future before he finally made his All Blacks debut in 1997, playing three midweek games on the tour of Wales, Ireland and England. As highly regarded as Slater was in rugby circles, he had his work cut out to displace Olo Brown at tighthead prop.

It was a further three years before Slater featured in the All Blacks again, when he came on as a replacement in tests against France and Italy.

It will be as a stalwart of Taranaki rugby, however, that he will be remembered most and he's now clocked up 166 games for the province in a 14-year career.

Kieran Crowley, a former Taranaki team-mate who has coached the province since 2002, was singing the praises of Slater in the lead-up to their encounter with the Lions on Wednesday.

"He's outstanding," Crowley said matter-of-factly of his captain. "He's so committed and so passionate and gives 100 per cent every time. I would love him to be around for another 10 years."

The reality is Slater might not be around for another 10 months. At the end of this year he will sit down on the back deck of his Bell Block farm in the shadow of Mt Taranaki and decide whether he wants to lace up the boots for another season.

It was a mark of the man that, despite calling time on his Super 12 career in 2002 after 55 games, he answered an SOS call from the Hurricanes last month to play in their semifinal against the Crusaders, fresh from helping his New Plymouth Old Boys side to a 27-18 win over Eltham-Kaponga six days earlier.

"The call-up to the Hurricanes came completely out of the blue because I thought my days with them were well and truly over," he said of the 20 minutes he played in that game.

Despite a broken leg in 1995 that meant he missed all of the 1996 season, Slater kept relatively injury-free and cites the work he does on the farm he runs with brother Andy, a veteran of 180 games for Taranaki, as contributing to his longevity.

They've worn a lot of jerseys but they've milked even more cows.

Gordon realises he managed to get out of a fair share of work to make games and training but it would be hard to begrudge it of someone who has given so much to one region.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY