Wallabies prop James Slipper scores a try in his 200th Super Rugby match

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AP) — Wallabies prop James Slipper led the ACT Brumbies onto the field Sunday for their match against the Crusaders to become the first Australian and the second player to play 200 Super Rugby games, marking the occasion with a try.

Slipper scored his 11th try in Super Rugby in the 30th minute, contributing to a 50-24 win over the defending champion Crusaders, the Brumbies' first in Christchurch in 26 years. He was replaced after 53 minutes.

“We're super-stoked to be able to do it for big Jimmy (Slipper) on his 200th and he got a try to show for it as well,” Brumbies captain Ryan Lonergan said.

Only former All Blacks prop Wyatt Crockett, who played 202 matches for the Crusaders, has played more than Slipper, who remains surprisingly fit at 36. Slipper will break that record — if he plays every match — when the Brumbies play the Fijian Drua on March 14.

Slipper made his Super Rugby debut for the Queensland Reds against the New South Wales Waratahs on Feb. 13, 2010. Rhys van Nek who propped the Brumbies' scrum with Slipper on Sunday was only 10 when the veteran made his debut.

Slipper went on to play 104 times for the Reds before joining the Brumbies in 2019, playing his 96th match Sunday for the Canberra-based team. He made his test debut against England in 2010 and went on to play 151 test matches, placing him third on the all-time list behind Alun Wyn-Jones of Wales and Sam Whitelock of New Zealand, both also retired.

Slipper scored his first test try in his 94th test and in 2024 surpassed George Gregan's record of 139 tests for Australia.

“He is one of the most respected players in Australian rugby and reaching 200 Super Rugby games is a huge achievement,” Brumbies head coach Stephen Larkham said. “He continues to set the standard with how he prepares, how he trains and how he competes.”

Slipper showed skill and vision in scoring his first half try Sunday. He first provided a good ball to fullback Andy Muirhead who breached the Crusaders' defense, then ran off the shoulder of lock Cadeyrn Neville to score in the left corner.

The Brumbies scored eight tries to four. The last time they beat the Crusaders in Christchurch current head coach Stephen Larkham was at flyhalf. Only three of the Brumbies' starters were born when that win was achieved.

The win "is up there as one of the best,” Slipper told Australian television. “We knocked off the Blues at Eden Park last year, and that’s a bit of a hoodoo for us. Like most Aussie teams, (we’ve) come here, and we put up a fight, but we never get the chocolates.

“So, for today to come away with a result, and the way it ended up is a big result for us.

“But one thing I know, I’ve been around a while now, you know, you’ve got to be playing your best rugby towards the end of the season, and that’s what the Crusaders do really well. They seem to come home really strong so that’s our challenge.”

The Brumbies are now 2-0 for the season ahead of a home match next week against the Auckland-based Blues.

”We’ve been to Perth and we’ve come to Christchurch and haven’t played at home yet so coming away with two games has built our confidence," Slipper said.

The Crusaders are 0-2 after a first-up loss to the Dunedin-based Highlanders.

Their loss Sunday — the second heaviest at home — resulted from a lack of discipline and threadbare backline defense.

The Brumbies forwards struggled at times against the Crusaders, especially in lineouts but their backs were devastating in fine conditions on a hard ground. Slipper was prominent around the field.

“Every time (Slipper) speaks, whether it’s in a huddle or in a team meeting space, everyone listens and takes the advice on board and then he backs that up with consistent performance,” Larkham said prior to the match. “He’s still playing as good as he’s ever played in his career and still loving his rugby. It’s a pleasure to coach him and the boys love being around him.”

Sunday's match was one of two trans-Tasman contests in Super Rugby's second round. The Blues beat the Western Force 42-32 in Perth, Australia on Saturday after trailing 17-14 at halftime and the Brumbies squared the ledger on Sunday.

AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby

FILE - Australia's James Slipper waves as he leaves the field during the Bledisloe Cup rugby test between the All Blacks and the Wallabies in Perth, Australia, Saturday, Oct 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Gary Day,File)

LONDON (AP) — Politically charged thriller “One Battle After Another” and blues-steeped epic “Sinners” lead the race for Sunday’s British Academy Film Awards as the two movies jostle for awards-season supremacy.

Oddsmakers suggest Shakespearean family tragedy “Hamnet” could beat them to best picture if British film industry voters respond to the emotionally rich story, earthy English setting and intense performances of Chloé Zhao’s adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s historical novel.

“One Battle” has 14 nominations, including best picture and acting nods for five of its cast. “Sinners” is just behind with 13, while “Hamnet” and the ping-pong odyssey “Marty Supreme” each have 11 nominations.

Guillermo del Toro’s reimagining of “Frankenstein” and Norwegian family drama “ Sentimental Value” each got eight nominations.

The British prizes, officially called the EE BAFTA Film Awards, often provide hints about who will win at Hollywood’s Academy Awards, held this year on March 15. In the Oscar nominations, “Sinners” leads the race with a record 16 nominations, followed by “One Battle After Another” with 13.

Stars including Emma Stone, Cillian Murphy, Glenn Close and Ethan Hawke are expected on the red carpet outside London’s Royal Festival Hall before a black-tie ceremony hosted by Scottish actor Alan Cumming.

Cumming, who hosts the U.S. version of reality show “The Traitors,” pledged to strike a “balance between celebration and mischief.”

The BAFTA best film nominees are “One Battle After Another,” “Hamnet,” “Marty Supreme,” “Sinners” and “Sentimental Value.” The BAFTAs also have a distinctly British accent, with a separate category for best British film. Its 10 nominees include “The Ballad of Wallis Island,” “Pillion,” “I Swear” and “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.”

Directing contenders are Paul Thomas Anderson for “One Battle,” Josh Safdie for “Marty Supreme,” Ryan Coogler for “Sinners,” Yorgos Lanthimos for dystopian tragicomedy “Bugonia,” Joachim Trier for “Sentimental Value” and Zhao for “Hamnet.” Zhao will be the first female director to win two BAFTAs if she takes the prize. She won the directing award in 2021 for “Nomadland.”

Best leading actor nominees are bookies’ favorite Timothée Chalamet for “Marty Supreme,” Leonardo DiCaprio for “One Battle After Another,” Ethan Hawke for Broadway biopic “Blue Moon,” Michael B. Jordan for “Sinners,” Jesse Plemons for “Bugonia” and Robert Aramayo for playing a man with Tourette’s syndrome in biographical drama “I Swear.”

The leading actress category includes the strongly favored Jessie Buckley for her performance as Agnes Hathaway, wife of William Shakespeare, in “Hamnet.” She’s up against Rose Byrne for “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” Kate Hudson for “Song Sung Blue,” Chase Infiniti for “One Battle After Another,” Renate Reinsve for “Sentimental Value” and Emma Stone for “Bugonia.”

“One Battle” actors Teyana Taylor, Benicio del Toro and Sean Penn are all nominated for supporting performances.

The Associated Press was recognized in the best documentary category with a nomination for Mstyslav Chernov’s harrowing Ukraine war portrait “2000 Meters to Andriivka, ” co-produced by the AP and Frontline PBS.

Most BAFTA winners are chosen by 8,500 members of the U.K. academy of industry professionals. Contenders for the Rising Star award – the only prize decided by public vote and a reliable picker of future A-listers – are Infiniti, Aramayo, “Sinners” star Miles Caton and British actors Archie Madekwe and Posy Sterling.

Donna Langley, the U.K.-born chairwoman of NBCUniversal Entertainment, will be awarded the British Academy’s highest honor, the BAFTA fellowship.

The ceremony airs on BBC in the United Kingdom starting at 7 p.m. (1900GMT) and on E! in the U.S. at 8 p.m. EST.

Completed British Academy Film Awards masks at the FSE Foundry in Braintree, England on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

A completed British Academy Film Awards mask sits on a workbench at the FSE Foundry in Braintree, England on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)