Eales named captain of Australian Team of the Decade

John Eales has been named captain of an Australian Team of the Decade.

The side contains only three members of the present team in its "starting" XV.

World Cup-winning skipper Eales was one of six players nominated unanimously by a panel of 30 rugby journalists and commentators, joining Toutai Kefu, George Gregan, Stephen Larkham, Tim Horan and Matthew Burke.

Gregan, Larkham and George Smith were the only present Wallaby test players named in a XV dominated by 1999 World Cup winners, although Jeremy Paul, Nathan Sharpe, Phil Waugh, Chris Whitaker and Lote Tuqiri were included on the bench.

The team: M. Burke, B. Tune, J. Little, T. Horan, J. Roff, S. Larkham, G. Gregan, T. Kefu, G. Smith, O. Finegan, J. Eales (capt), D. Giffin, A. Blades, P. Kearns, R. Harry. Res: J. Paul, D. Crowley, N. Sharpe, P. Waugh, C. Whitaker, D. Herbert, L. Tuqiri.