The presence of George Gregan at the first Bledisloe Cup clash at Accor Stadium on Saturday, as part of the tributes to James Slipper’s record, may provide Australian fans with some nostalgia around things long since departed for the Wallabies.

The days when John Williamson would belt out a tune at Homebush, for example. Or when the Wallabies occasionally won the Bledisloe Cup, and the prime minister would drink from it and then charge around in a green tracksuit the next day.

Or maybe the sight of Gregan will be a simple reminder of when the Wallabies didn’t change their halfback as often as their undies.

In the 156 Test matches played by the Wallabies between his Test debut and retirement, Gregan played 139 of them - starting in 133 and playing the full 80 minutes 94 times. It reflected Gregan’s centrality to the Wallabies’ successes, but it was certainly tough going for understudy Chris Whitaker, who sat unused on the bench for over 50 Tests.

Gregan’s permanence is in stark contrast to the merry-go-round at halfback in recent years, where Wallabies coaches have cycled through their scrum-feeders with head-scratching frequency.

George Gregan at Accor Stadium with James Slipper.Credit: James........

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