Moore, 34, will step down from Test rugby at the end of this year's Spring Tour, but has elected to give up the captaincy effective immediately. 

The veteran is the second-most capped Wallabies player of all time, and had a contract with the ARU through to the end of 2019. 

He was firmly in coach Michael Cheika's plans up until the 2019 Rugby World Cup, with his retirement coming as a shock to many. 

“As of the next Test I will be handing over the captaincy, and will spend the next four months supporting the new leadership team in any way possible," Moore said.

“We have a great bunch of developing leaders like Michael (Hooper), Adam (Coleman), Bernard (Foley), Samu (Kerevi), Allan (Alaalatoa).

"Succession is a really important part of the leadership of any team and we've been working to that end for a number of years and having those discussions for some time.

“I look around the group now and I see plenty of faces that weren’t even in high school when I made my Wallabies debut, and that is exciting for Australian rugby."

Cheika added: “Stephen still has a big role to play within the team. This isn't a farewell right now - he's fully committed to getting the gold jersey back to the top this year.

“His contribution to this current team cannot be understated. What he’s achieved on the field is no mean feat but it’s his work off the field in his role as captain of Australia that has really impressed me.

“We now have to make sure we send him off in the best way possible this year."