Former-Wallaby Dan Vickerman has passed away in his family home in Sydney, aged 37. His death is not believed to be suspicious though no reason has yet been given. He leaves behind a wife and two children.Vickerman, a bona fide giant at 6'8 and 119 kilograms, was a stalwart in the Wallabies second-row between 2002 and 2011, where he racked up 63 test caps and represented Australia in two world cups in 2007 (quarterfinals) and 2011 (semi-finals).He was also a standout in the Super Rugby arena where he represented the ACT Brumbies and Waratahs, leading Wallabies coach, Eddie Jones, to declare him "the best player in Super Rugby" in 2005. Vickerman was a highly-skilled lineout jumper who also packed a punch at the breakdown and was famously angry on the field though a quiet, well-liked player off it.He began his career in his country of birth, South Africa, where he represented the national under 21 team in 1999. He arrived in Australia the following year and represented his adopted country shortly after at the 2000 SANZAR under 21's tournament.Following a decorated state and test career, Vickerman left Australia in 2008 for England to take up a place at Cambridge University and complete a degree in Land Economy, his second on top of a finance degree gained in Australia. He returned to Australia for a stint with the Waratahs in 2011 and played in Australia's last successful Tri Nations campaign that same year as well as the World Cup. He retired in 2012 citing persistent stress fractures in his right leg and took up a job in commercial real estate.Tributes have poured in from around the sporting world, including from South African cricket player, Herschelle Gibbs, former Newcastle rugby league player, Clint Newton, and several other South African and Australian rugby union test stars.Former Wallabies and ACT Brumbies teammate, Jeremy Paul, told Fox Sports the news was "pretty hard to take in.""It's really shocking to be honest, 37 years of age and he had such a life to live … all of our hearts and well wishes go to (Vickerman's wife) Sarah and their two little girls, it's a big shock," Paul said."Our hearts are just with Sarah and the two little kids his, it's a really shocking time for everyone."It's just shocking. It's pretty hard to take in actually," he said.
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