The Australian rugby community has paid tribute to New Zealand-born signaller Sean McCarthy who was killed in Afghanistan.
Former defence chief General Peter Cosgrove, now a board member of the Australian Rugby Union (ARU), said McCarthy's death had touched the rugby "family".
"As members of the rugby family, we also recognise we have lost one of our own," he said in a statement.
"Sean was an avid supporter of the game."
General Cosgrove said McCarthy would be remembered as Australia began its Tri Nations campaign against South Africa in Perth on Saturday night.
"It will be a special moment when this international match kicks off in the city where he was based before his deployment."
McCarthy, a member of the SAS since January 2007, died on patrol in southern Afghanistan on July 8 when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated near his vehicle.
A ramp ceremony and guard of honour greeted the arrival of the 25-year-old soldier's casket in Brisbane yesterday.
A funeral is expected to be held on Friday on the Gold Coast, where his family has lived after leaving New Zealand.
