Moore will finish his 15-year rugby career earlier than expected after deciding to walk away from the game next week instead of playing a farewell season for the Queensland Reds next year.

The former Brumbies and Wallabies captain insists he won't get caught up in the emotion of the final days of his playing career, but he will leave a lasting legacy as one of Australian rugby's most respected figures.

Brumbies coach Dan McKellar says Moore's impact is still being felt in Canberra, praising the 34-year-old for his uncompromising passion and leadership ability.

Moore quit the Brumbies at the end of last year to link with the Reds. The veteran hooker announced his intention to retire from international rugby earlier this year, but was expected to play the 2018 Super Rugby season before hanging up his boots.

He shocked the Australian rugby community on Tuesday night when he said the Wallabies' clash against Scotland at Murrayfield would be the last game of his 15-season career.

McKellar was a fringe Queensland prop when Moore kickstarted his career in 2003 and the pair reunited when McKellar joined the Brumbies' coaching staff 10 years later.

"[Moore's] impact has been enormous. He's been a leader from day one when I was a fringe player at the Reds and he was starting his career," McKellar said.

"It was fairly obvious as a 21-year-old that he was going to be someone who had those leadership qualities.

"He was great here at the Brumbies. He drove the standards, he was a ruthless leader. There's no grey areas with [Moore], it's black or white and he's determined to make sure the team upholds that.

"He's going to be a loss ... I remember in my first year as a coach it was pretty intimidating, but Steve was really good to work with. He's a loss, but he's definitely earned a break.

"He had a constant drive for excellence and professionalism. The legacy he left here is driving preparation."

Moore has played 177 games of Super Rugby, including 117 for the Brumbies between 2009-16, and is second most capped player in the competition's history. He finishes his career after more than 300 Tests and Super Rugby matches.

He will finish seventh on the all-time list of most matches played, behind Richie McCaw (148), Brian O'Driscoll (141), George Gregan (139), Gethin Jenkins (134), Keven Mealamu (132) and Ronan O'Gara (130).

Moore's wife and three children will be in Edinburgh watching, along with his extended family from Ireland, who have flown over for the event.

Despite there being an added sense of occasion, Moore, a player who hates being the centre of attention, said he could put it to one side to focus on his role.

"It's been a good week so far and I've been trying to prepare as best I can for the Test on the weekend - it's a big game for the team," Moore said. "Always in these weeks when there's a personal milestone, it can be a distraction and you've just got to make sure you stay focused on the job.

"I didn't want to be having all these farewell tours. That's not something I'm really big on. You have to do it at some point and I was really keen to do it before it became public."

Moore got his first game in the starting XV for the Wallabies against Scotland in 2006 and remarkably Saturday will mark 11 years since that day.

"I was pretty nervous and it was pretty ordinary," Moore recalled. "It was pretty windy and wet. John Connolly, who was the coach at the time, he was probably going to replace me at half-time. I don't think the lineout went too well in the first half. We sorted things out and ended up having a win and I scored a try, which was great."