International/France v Australia: John O'Sullivan on the iconic Australia captain who cares little for public affection but is held in high esteem by team-mates and coaches

The public's perception of a feted figure is often far removed from the lived reality. Take the case of George Musarurwa Gregan, the 32-year-old Wallaby captain who will break the world record - held by England prop Jason Leonard - for Test match appearances when he takes to the turf in Marseilles against France tonight for his 115th appearance in an Australian jersey.

He should be a sporting icon in Australia, saluted with media sobriquets like the Wizard of Oz, but instead there are those inside and outside the rugby community underwhelmed by the man. Aloof, arrogant, disdainful are terms used to describe his demeanour, yet to friends, family and team-mates he is generous, witty and very supportive.

Gregan eschews many of the peripherals that accompany a top sports career. He doesn't court publicity, isn't given to pre-match platitudes, won't be seen on the town, is single-minded in his focus and won't apologise for the professional and thorough manner in which he chases success.

In the past he has rubbished the notion that passion is a prerequisite for winning in the Test arena, distilling his recipe for success down to the clipped "an ability to execute under pressure". What he may not recognise himself is that the manner in which he prepares and plays exudes passion for the sport.

His public utterances suggest he doesn't really care about his popularity, that he has a clearly defined outlook on what is important to him in life: his family and the ability to provide for them, and the sport he loves. He doesn't care about being abrasive on and off the pitch, be it in speech or gesture.

As a characteristic it runs throughout his 11-year career in the national side from the moment he made his debut in a Wallaby jumper against Italy in Brisbane. It was later that season the 21-year-old announced his arrival in spectacular fashion against neighbours and fierce rivals from across the Tasman Sea, New Zealand.

The Bledisloe Cup match at the Sydney Football Stadium provided the backdrop with Australia clinging to a tenuous four-point advantage. There was roughly a minute remaining when All Blacks wing Jeff Wilson eased through a gap and darted clear. It seemed a certain try beckoned but that prognosis reckoned without the corner-flagging Gregan.

It was a thunderous collision with the Australian thumping the ball out of Wilson's hands and saving in no particular order of importance the try, the day and the Bledisloe Cup. It was this naked determination that made Gregan the player he was and some believe still can be. It is an auspicious footnote in an international career that began in the amateur era and has stretched to the present day - and beyond if the Australian's wishes are fulfilled.

HAVING PLAYED IN three World Cups, including the victorious 1999 Wallabies side directed by all-conquering coach Rod Macqueen, Gregan would like the 2007 World Cup in France to be his curtain call in the Test arena.

Periodically throughout his career there have been calls for him to move aside but he has always defied the detractors.

In the 12 seasons he has played international rugby he has missed just 13 Test matches for Australia, a phenomenal record. Born in Zambia, George moved to Australia with his parents when he was one year old. He attended St Edmund's College, Canberra, from 1983 through 1990 before studying at the University of Canberra where he obtained a Bachelor of Secondary Education (Phys Ed) in 1994.

His formative rugby years were at St Edmund's and his growing prowess was reflected in being selected to represent Australia at under-19 (1992) and under-21 (1994).

In that same year of 1994 which marked his senior international debut against Italy at Ballymore he scored his first Test try, during the record 73-3 defeat of Western Samoa at the Sydney Football Stadium.

His qualities as a scrumhalf were easily discernible; vision, good basics and an ability to punch way above his weight in the tackle. He played in the trenches, on the front line. His early ACT Brumbies career included the accolade of 1997 Super 12 Player of the Tournament, the same year he assumed the vice-captaincy of the national side.

He played in every Test match in 1999, bar the World Cup pool match against the USA, and was arguably the form scrumhalf of both the 2000 and 2001 Super 12 series.

He was appointed Wallabies captain on September 10th, 2001 and his first match in charge was against Spain the following November.

In the same year he was awarded the International Rugby Players' Association Player of the Year, won the Rugby Medal for Excellence, recognising outstanding performances on and off the field and was one of the reasons Australia managed to down the 2001 Lions 2-1 after losing the first Test.

At the 2003 World Cup, the general consensus was that Australia would fare poorly, the cognoscenti brandishing sharpened knives, and suggesting the Wallabies had no chance of defending their title. But Gregan and coach Eddie Jones once again proved them wrong, firstly by beating the seemingly unbeatable All Blacks in the semi-final and then taking England to the brink of defeat in the final.

IT WOULD BE remiss to chronicle Gregan's onfield exploits without reference to the sledging for which he is infamous. One classic example was in that 2003 World Cup semi-final against the All Blacks when Gregan chanted: "Four more years, boys! Four more years!"

On another occasion, a Tri-Nations game, he chose to needle Springbok skipper John Smit. The South African Smit was trying to get clarity on a referee's ruling when Gregan interrupted, saying to Smit: "I'd like to introduce you to the referee, you're supposed to listen to what he says."

The ultimate irony was that Gregan was constantly chirping away at referees whether they valued his interpretation or not and therefore it was rich coming from the Australian who has argued with more officials than Smit has thrown lineout balls.

The referee with whom he has arguably clashed most often is South African Andre Watson. Their most celebrated contretemps occurred in Dunedin in 2001 during a Super 12 match between the Otago Highlanders and the ACT Brumbies.

In response to a comment by Gregan, Watson retorted: "Don't you ever speak to me like that again". Gregan explained: "There was an incident in Dunedin where I was probably a bit out of line in saying something - he had penalised us at the breakdown before when we were in attack, and it happened again.

"I said something along the lines of, 'mate, aw c'mon, you've just pinged us'. He wasn't happy about what I said. We were on the run, one-on-one, the cameras were on us, and then all of a sudden it was a blow-up."

They patched up their differences.

Off the pitch Gregan is owner/manager of four espresso bars in Sydney's central business district (CBD) and North Sydney, known as "GG Espresso," has his own website (georgegregan.com) and is devoted to wife Erica, son Max and daughters Charlie (Charlotte) and Jazz.

The Wallaby captain has offered overwhelming evidence of the priorities in his life. In 2002, when Australia toured Europe, he flew 21,000 miles home and back between playing Ireland at Lansdowne Road one Saturday and England at Twickenham seven days later to attend the birth of Charlie, his second child.

On the eve of the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Sydney, Gregan fielded another call. Max, then three, had a seizure, which led to the discovery he was epileptic. Gregan now leads an epilepsy awareness campaign, Get on the Team, as well as being patron of Brainwave Australia, a charity devoted to improving the diagnosis, treatment and quality of life for children with brain and other related disorders.

WHEN HE ECLIPSED David Campese's record (101) to become Australia's most capped player, against South Africa, Gregan sold the jersey for $34,200 to provide Westmead Children's Hospital with vital research funds. He admitted: "It terms of milestones in my playing career, I am really proud to have earned my 102nd Test jersey. But I am more than happy to part with it if it means Westmead Children's Hospital can do more research into epilepsy and help more kids in the future."

He summed up his family life thus: "Being married was great, but the icing on the cake was having kids. I've loved every minute of it - we both have. It's the best thing - it's as simple as that."

He's formed a close bond with a generation of Wallaby players, none more so than hooker Jeremy Paul. Anyone who questions Gregan's standing among his team-mates might want a quick squint at Paul's eulogy on a night when the hooker was being presented with the John Eales Medal.

"The thing that disappoints me the most about criticism of George Gregan is that he has done so much for rugby in Australia and for my career. To win the John Eales Medal is like winning George Gregan's respect. It is something a lot of players want to do. They walk in and are in awe of George."

It's appropriate that Eddie Jones should offer the final tribute: "As captain, George is our foremost leader. He is at the fulcrum of everything we do, a world-class player, a total professional, an outstanding captain. That's why he's so important."

That's George Gregan: husband, father, rugby player, record-breaker.