Wallabies coach pays tribute to Henry

Departing Wallabies coach Rod Macqueen has paid tribute to his beaten Lions counterpart Graham Henry, claiming: "He did a great job."  

Macqueen's first day in official retirement saw him reflect on some remarkable achievements - World Cup glory, Tri-Nations success, Bledisloe Cup honours and a Test series triumph against the Lions.

He now hands over the reins to ACT Brumbies supremo Eddie Jones, having bowed out with a memorable 29-23 third Test win in front of 84,000 fans at Stadium Australia.

It was an emotion-charged occasion for the 51-year-old, but he knew how close Henry's Lions had pushed his world champions.

"The series has been great," Macqueen said. "Graham Henry will probably get some bad press now, but I thought he did a great job.

"There is a very fine line between winning and losing. Is he a hero one day? Is he a villain the next, because of six points?

"Whatever happened in the game, in my view, he is a great coach. From my perspective, I think the Lions are a good team, the best team we've played, and they were well-prepared."

Asked if a series victory over the Lions compared with winning the 1999 World Cup, Macqueen added: "Yes, in a lot of ways it does.

"It's a totally different scenario for us, obviously. We worked for two years for the World Cup, and then went through a six-game period to win it.

"In this one we had a three-off series, with very little time to prepare. We prepared totally differently this year to anything we've done in the last four years.

"We really had to hit the ground running, I suppose. Indicative of the way our preparation went, was the way we played. We gradually got better as we went through the series.

"So to that extent, it was totally predictable from our side. We did feel we'd get better as the series went on, and obviously it's hugely satisfying to be able to come away with it in the end.

"Eddie Jones is now coming in at the right time, and hopefully, this will be a great foundation for us.

"The players are going to get a fresh approach, new ideas. Eddie's a very hard worker, very innovative in his ways, and I think it will be a refreshing change coming at the right time for the Wallabies."