GEORGE GREGAN CAP THAT ONE

Wallabies legend George Gregan has absorbed — and dished out — plenty of hits over his 139 Test career but now the retired rugby player prefers the smooth ride of his luxury SUV.

The Fox Sports rugby commentator is a Jaguar Land Rover ambassador and currently gets around town in a Range Rover Velar.

However, Gregan has not always had such a flash ride. In the early 1990s, just after leaving school, he got his first set of wheels.

“My first car was a Holden HQ which a lot of my guys down in Canberra always remind me of,” he says. “I got it when I was a uni student, my old man got me that. It was like a tank. It was beautiful, I loved it.”

Gregan loved the old school charm of the early 1970s Holden: “I remember it had three on the tree and a big bench seat. I used to fill it up about five bucks at a time — classic uni student.”

But as much as he remembers the old HQ Holden fondly, he now has a taste for British luxury cars.

“I’ve been lucky enough to drive beautiful cars — a number of those have been German — but the best that I have got over a number of years has been the Range Rover Vogue. That would be my dream car.”

However, any car must have two essential ingredients.

“I love a lot of boot space, couple of golf clubs, you can do all sorts of stuff — go mountain biking and camping,” he says. “I love Bluetooth, it is fantastic. You just snap your phone in and then you are so comfortable, you get your music. I don’t listen to the radio these days.”

Gregan says that he is a pretty chill guy behind the wheel but there is still one annoying habit that he just does not understand — especially among Sydney drivers.

“When people don’t let other people in. I’m a big one for a wave, to give a little wave when someone lets you in is just a nice gesture,” he says. “It is common courtesy. Manners are free.”

When it comes to memorable drives, Gregan goes back to his time in France playing for club side Toulon after the 2007 World Cup.

“There are some beautiful driving routes in the south of France. It is spectacular. There are some lovely roads — you can drive cars how they should be driven,” he says.

A particular scenic drive in his Audi Q7 stands out. He was on his way with friends for a day of whitewater rafting in the Alps north of Toulon.

“It was during spring and all the flowers were out — and you could have sworn you were in Australia, it looked like the golden wattle.”

“(There were) switchbacks going down. I still remember that drive, you had to keep your wits about you. I was driving on the (right) side of the road.

“The friends we were following — obviously they live in that part of the world — know the road like the back of their hand and drove that way. I was at a stretch to keep up with them.”

Fox Sports screens the Bledisloe Cup return clash live and ad-break free during play from 5pm EST Saturday on Fox Sports 501.