Former Wallabies coach Bob Dwyer is recovering in a Sydney hospital after suffering a heart attack.

The 72 year-old reportedly complained of chest pains on Wednesday and was taken to hospital where he suffered a cardiac arrest.

Dwyer, who steered the Wallabies to the 1991 Rugby World Cup win, underwent surgery and is recuperating at Liverpool Hospital.

After a stint coaching in England in the late 1990s, Dwyer returned to Australia to take charge of the NSW Waratahs and led them to their first Super Rugby semi-final in 2002.