Under the headline ’Bye George’, Sydney’s Daily Telegraph called for the 32-year-old to be axed for Saturday’s Cook Cup clash at Twickenham.

But Gaffney, the former Munster coach, insisted: “The squad is wholeheartedly behind George. That’s not just me saying that, it’s a fact of life. George is an outstanding player, an outstanding leader. The squad are very unified as far as this is concerned.”

“George is still very enthusiastic and has a very competitive spirit. We have struggled a bit in the tight five this year and it does make it difficult for a number nine.”

Australia head to Twickenham on the back of six straight defeats and one more would equal the record losing streak of the 1969 Wallabies.

“We have lost six on the trot and that’s unforgivable. There’s no easy solution other than hard work,” said Gaffney.

“We won’t hide behind saying it’s a development tour. It’s not.

“We’ve come to win four Test matches, obviously we can’t do that now, but we’ve got a desire to win the remaining three.

“We’ve been forced into bringing some young boys on this tour [because of injuries] but in the medium to long term it’s going to be beneficial to Australian rugby.”

Outspoken former Australian winger David Campese accused the Wallabies of “going through the motions” against France and joined calls for major changes to be made this week.

And the first name of his list would be Gregan, who played his record-breaking 115th Test against France at the weekend.

“I think he’s got to go. I’ve been saying this for a while,” said Campese.

“All Gregan does is go from ruck to ruck, head down, pass ball. Look at the other half-back (France’s Jean-Baptiste Elissalde), he kicked ahead, and he had a look before every ruck to see what’s happened behind Australia’s line.”

Campese would like to see Chris Whitaker, Gregan’s long-term understudy who played the last 10 minutes in Marseille, or 23-year-old Matt Henjak given their chance.

“Something’s got to happen, someone’s got to go, they can’t protect themselves forever,” Campese said.

“You need the young guys who have got a bit of excitement about them. It’s simple, it’s not rocket science.

“Every time Whitaker comes in you see how much free-flowing rugby they play. Bring Henjak in and give them 40 minutes each.

“There’s no good giving a guy 10 minutes when you’re losing 26-9.”

But Gaffney insists Gregan still has plenty to offer and now would not be the right time for him to quit.

“I do believe George will make the decision (to retire) in his own time. I don’t think it will have to be made for him. He’ll know when it’s time,” said Gaffney.

“George is in the selection process like everybody else. He knows he has to compete for his position.

“He’s had an outstanding career so far so I’ll think he’ll finish it off in the right way."