SYDNEY (Reuters) -Wallabies scrumhalf Nic White will retire from international rugby after the third test against the British & Irish Lions this weekend, Rugby Australia said on Thursday.

The 35-year-old halfback is expected to win his 73rd cap in place of Jake Gordon at Sydney's Stadium Australia on Saturday in a match Australia need to win to avoid a 3-0 series sweep.

White, familiar to fans the world over for his distinctive moustache, missed the 2013 series against the Lions through injury but played in two World Cups for his country.

"Pulling on the gold jersey was a dream of mine when I was a young boy ... and to say I've done it 72 times, with one last crack on Saturday night, is something I'm incredibly proud of," White said in a Rugby Australia news release.

"There's been great competition for the nine jersey here in the Wallabies for a number of years and it feels like the right time to pass on the baton ..."

White would probably have won more test caps had he not spent five years in Europe with Montpellier and Exeter Chiefs before returning to Canberra with the ACT Brumbies in 2020.

"First and foremost Nic is a great man to have in a squad. He's team first all the time and has been at the top of the game for over a decade," said Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt.

"Having coached against Whitey, and now worked with him in the Wallabies environment, he’s the ultimate competitor."

Schmidt will name his team for the third test later on Thursday.

(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Peter Rutherford)