0
Moore celebrates rake's progress with stunning combination of skills
Bret Harris | February 09, 2009
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...015651,00.html
WHEN Stephen Moore was growing up in Queensland, his aunt would send videos of Ireland's Test matches to his Irish-born parents.
Watching the Irish matches, the young Moore idolised hooker Keith Wood and he modelled his own game on the Lions star.
Like Wood, Moore is a mobile and athletic hooker with good ball-handling skills as well as a strong scrummager and accurate lineout thrower.
It is this rare combination of techniques that has made Moore the first-choice hooker in Australia and among the best rakes in the world.
Along with five-eighth Matt Giteau, Moore was the only Wallaby to play in all 14 Tests last year, starting in 13 of them, to take his cap tally to 34 since making his debut against Samoa in 2006.
"It was certainly a lot of Tests in one year, but the way the year went, I really enjoyed it," Moore said.
"It was the most I enjoyed my rugby for a number of years."
The highlight of the year for Moore was his man-of-the-match performance in a dominant Australian pack in the Wallabies' win against England at Twickenham.
It was particularly satisfying given that Moore was the hooker when the Australian scrum was demolished by England in the quarter-final of the 2007 World Cup in Marseille.
"There was a lot said over there, particularly in the English press, in the lead-up to that Test," Moore said.
"There seemed to be constant questions about our scrum. Even wingers were getting asked about the scrum. To get a bit of payback was very satisfying."
At 26, Moore is still approaching his peak as a front-rower. He believes he improved on the tour of Hong Kong and Europe last November and he is looking to continue his development following his move from the Queensland Reds to the Brumbies.
After six years in Queensland, Moore decided he needed a change.
"I wasn't really enjoying my rugby as much as I would have liked in Queensland and I thought I might benefit from being in a new environment," Moore said.
"I felt the Brumbies was the right choice for me and the set-up was conducive to me developing as a player and a person.
"That's something that I couldn't necessarily see myself doing in Queensland in the short term.
"No disrespect to the set-up they've got there. I just thought for me and the direction I wanted to go, it wasn't the place I wanted to be."
One of the reasons Moore left Queensland was to become part of a successful team. The Reds have not made the Super play-offs since 2001, two years before Moore joined them.
While the Brumbies have not figured in post-season play for five years, they have finished higher on the table than the Reds.
Under new coach Andy Friend, there is a renewed commitment in Canberra to restore the Brumbies to their winning ways.
"There is a lot of potential at the Brumbies," Moore said. "On paper, we should have a pretty good side.
"There are quite a few players here who have won a Super rugby title. When you look back at that 2004 team, you've got Mark Chisholm, Clyde Rathbone, Stirling Mortlock, Nic Henderson, Guy Shepherdson and Mark Gerrard. There is a group of players who know what it's all about.
"This place has a history of success. It's an environment that expects results.
"The guys are all working towards being successful and that's encouraging and infectious."
Moore will suit the Brumbies' traditional style of attacking rugby, but it is his scrummaging that could make the biggest impact on the team.
"It's no secret the Brumbies weren't happy with the way they scrummaged last year and that's something we really want to improve this year," Moore said.
"That's an area we really want to assert ourselves. To give our backline good ball, we need to be dominant in that area."
On a personal level, Moore is aiming for a successful season at the Brumbies to maintain his ownership of the gold No2 jersey.
"At the Wallabies, you can never say you are established," Moore said. "You have to work hard every year to earn your spot. There are plenty of other guys who are looking for that role."
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by TOCC
... and furthermore Go those Reds give it to the Republicans...
F>O>S?
