George Smith was one of the most influential rugby players of his era and an all-time great on the world rugby stage.
Born in Sydney, the teen with distinctive dreadlocks was recruited to the ACT Brumbies, debuting in 2000.
A starring role for the Australian Under 21s later that year had Smith identified as a Wallaby in waiting.
It did not take long.
He was picked for the Wallabies Spring Tour and made his Test debut against Les Bleus at the Stade de France in November 2000 at just 20 years and 113 days. In 2001 he celebrated his 21st birthday with a man-of-the- match performance against the British & Irish Lions in Sydney.
A durable player, he would miss just three Tests on his way to reaching his 50th cap in 2005 and just six when he played his 100th international in 2009.
Smith was selected to Rugby World Cups in 2003 and 2007, won two John Eales Medals in 2002 and 2008, and retired as Australia’s most capped flanker and most capped forward. He played 111 Tests, seven as captain, over his 14-year international career.
In a Brumbies jersey he is a two-time Super Rugby champion in 2001 and 2004, awarded the Brumbies Player of the Year a record 10 times, including eight in a row from 2003 to 2010.
He would play 142 games for the Brumbies, his professional rugby career also including stints in Japan, France and the United Kingdom.
In 2012 he became a Member of the Order of Australia for his service to rugby and, in 2023, was the 19th Australian inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame.