World Cup-winning coach Rod Macqueen led the tributes to Wallaby captain John Eales yesterday following his former captain's decision to retire after this season's Tri-Nations.
Macqueen, who stepped down as coach last month after leading Australia to World Cup, Bledisloe Cup, Tri-Nations and British and Irish Lions series success in his four-year reign, said Eales (31), was a truly great leader.
"I think rugby has a great custodian in John Eales," Macqueen said. "It has been my pleasure to see him develop into a great captain, both on and off the field."
Eales's biographer Peter FitzSimons said last week in the Sydney Morning Herald that when Macqueen took over as coach in 1997 he told Australian rugby chief John O'Neill he was concerned that Eales wasn't providing the necessary leadership to pull Australia out of a form slump.
Eales convinced O'Neill, the Australian Rugby Union's chief executive, over a game of golf that being Wallaby captain was the most important thing to him.
"There is no more significant player in the history of the game," O'Neill said. "We've been fortunate in Australia to have many great players and many great captains, but I think the combination of great player, great captain and great person is pretty unique."
Former Australian vice-captain David Wilson, a World Cup winner in 1999, said: "He's going to be a huge loss to Australian rugby because he's been a great player for so long and an inspirational captain.
"With him at the helm in 1996 when things weren't too well he always stayed positive. Over the years we were able to build to a really successful team and he's got to be thanked for a lot of that."
Wallaby centre Daniel Herbert said Eales, who has played 83 Tests, transcended world sport.
"People don't recognise him just for the sport, they recognise him because he's a great Australian," Herbert said. "He also hasn't lost the common touch."
Australian Prime Minister John Howard released a statement recording his admiration for the magnificent contribution Eales had made to Australian and international sport.
"John Eales has been an inspirational leader, an outstanding and courageous player, and an example to all in the way he has conducted himself on and off the field," Howard said.
Meanwhile, Springbok prop Cobus Visagie was given the all-clear to continue playing by the International Rugby Board (IRB) on Tuesday.
The IRB announced from Dublin that they would not challenge Visagie's successful appeal against a two-year suspension for failing a random drugs test following a Currie Cup match in October last year.
In a statement the IRB said they had decided not to re-open Visagie's case because of irregularities in the testing procedure.
