Michael Hooper has been named Wallabies captain, replacing Stephen Moore after the hooker's decision to step down from the role immediately ahead of his retirement from international rugby at the end of the 2017 season.
Hooper, 25, has experience in the role after he stepped in when Moore was injured in 2014, when he became the 82nd player to captain the Wallabies and the youngest since Ken Catchpole in 1961. He has captained the side 15 times, including 13 matches in 2014 when he deputised for Moore. He also led the Wallabies against Fiji and Scotland in June this year.
"It's a huge honour to just wear the Wallabies jersey, let alone captain the side," Hooper said in a media release. "I'm extremely grateful to [coach Michael Cheika] but also to Steve [Moore] for all that he's done for me and the team.
"It's what you do in the jersey that's most important and I get another crack at showing what it means to me against New Zealand in Sydney in a fortnight.
"There are quite a few good young leaders in this team like Bernard [Foley], Adam [Coleman], Samu [Kerevi] and Allan [Alaalatoa], so we'll be working together to take this team to a new level.
"I'm really excited about what we can achieve in the next four months. It is a very special opportunity for all of us, and we'll be doing all we can to show that pride in the jersey."
Cheika said that Hooper "always shows on the field how much he loves the gold jersey and that's why he is totally respected among the rugby players in Australia".
"His role as the leader of this team will also be about making the standards of the Australian rugby team the highest they can possibly be," Cheika said.
"Michael loves Australia and his record as a player speaks for itself but he's exactly the type of man we want see in rugby - connected to his school, a great club man at the grassroots, a passionate Super Rugby player and a proud Wallaby."