AUSTRALIA CAPTAIN Stephen Moore will leave the Brumbies and re-join his former club the Queensland Reds for the 2017 Super Rugby season.
Moore has made over 100 appearances for the Brumbies since making the switch from the Reds in 2009. The 32-year-old recently captained the Wallabies to the final of the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
The42 reported last month that the IRFU blocked a move to Munster, which Moore was keen on.
Moore will play one more season with the Brumbies before linking back up with the Reds on a multi-year deal.
Brumbies CEO Michael Jones said while he respected Moore’s decision, he was disappointed that 2016 would be the hooker’s last year with the Canberra-based club.
“We are exceedingly disappointed about today’s announcement that Stephen Moore will leave the Brumbies at the end of 2016,” Jones said via a club statement.
“[Coach] Stephen Larkham and I worked extremely hard to create a deal that was acceptable to Moore and his agent. We were given a deadline and moved heaven and earth to satisfy that deadline including late night calls to South Africa where Moore was holidaying.
“Following those negotiations, a very generous long-term offer was first agreed by his agent and was submitted to Moore late last Thursday. This offer met a number of unique demands including a deadline that was imposed onto us by them.
“After speaking with Stephen personally, he spoke passionately about wanting to remain a Brumby and pleaded with us to come up with an offer to meet his demands and counter offers from Europe.
“He clearly expressed the desire to stay in Canberra, wanted to be a Brumby and to extend his career through to the next Rugby World Cup and ultimately finish his career here.”
Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham was disappointed with the decision, but said the club can now start planning for a replacement.
“Moore will return to training with the Brumbies on 4 January and will likely play a key role in our bid for the 2016 Super Rugby title,” Larkham said.
“It’s disappointing that he has chosen to leave, but we now have to begin planning for a suitable replacement. We have great depth in the hooker position with Wallaby representative Josh Mann-Rea and the up-and-coming Robbie Abel.
“New recruit Albert Anae can also play hooker and has trained in that position for the Wallabies.
“There is no doubt that Steve he has given a lot for this club and I’m sure that will continue in 2016 before he farewells Brumbies fans.”
Still think David Nucifura should come and explain himself over blocking Moore’s move to Munster – even more disgraceful given the shocking form of the provinces since the decision was made. The Heineken cup has brought rugby to the masses cos it gave people a reason to watch all season. If it’s all about the national team people will check in for the six nations and for the rest of the season only pay lip service to the provinces if they’re not competitive in Europe.
Munster have four hookers in their squad. They didn’t need Moore. They need to back their own players and give them game time. This is the exact move that would block irish talent and force young players to go abroad
Do you really think that having Moore at Munster wouldn’t improve all four of them?
Moore is 32, he would have had a season or two at Munster and retired – there would be no blocker there.
With all the academy players coming through, he would have served as an excellent mentor.
It’s an absolute joke. I’ve no doubt Leinster wouldn’t have been blocked from signing him. Nucifora has to go, simple as that. How can one province gain an edge over another if the coach isn’t allowed build a team? It’s nonsense from the IRFU, something has to give.
4 hookers who wouldn’t get into the Toulon academy
They have Jerry Flannery to mentor them. Unless you have short memories you might remember his as one of the best hookers in the northern hemisphere in the last decade. And the best line out thrower in the world. This is the problem with the Irish rugby fan mentality. We automatically look abroad for the solution rather than back our own homegrown talent.
Few points here.
Firstly, if they were to spend this amount of money, it’d be better spent elsewhere. There are 4 hookers there, two of whom are good quality, two who are good backup. There are holes elsewhere in the squad (TH and 15 for example) that are in far bigger need.
With regards whinging about ‘Leinster would be allowed to sign him’. Leinster had to let Nathan Hines and Isa go because of an IRFU diktat and Munster currently have at least 7 NIQs in the squad. So that’s a moot point.
Finally, Munster owe 9 million on Thomond, so there’s that too.
Well said Oval
@Oval, isn’t Thomand Park now owned by the IRFU through some other vehicle? I thought Munster essentially paid a lease to IRFU for the ground and the relationship ended there.
Completely agree on everything else by the way.
Teddy, thomand park has always been owned by the IRFU
Lol.. keep getting better Marty
I take it you don’t approve of the IRFU interest free loan of about €35 million to the Aviva New Stadium Company, presumably to take the pressure off our soccer brethren?
As for the 4 hookers. Get your head beyond that Stephen Moore is just a hooker. He is a world class leader who wanted to come to Munster unlike any other top class player in the Southern Hemisphere.
Keep liking your own comments you absolute loser. Maybe you’ll get to 3 someday..
Moore is an Irish citizen, born of Irish parents and he lived in Tuam until he was 5 years old.
He has every right to live and work in Ireland and a good solicitor would take the IRFU to the cleaners!
Moore is a pretty decent hooker, but people overreacted to this decision (the wallabies scrum improvement was heavily down to Sio). Also given Munster obvious financial limitations hooker is a long way down the list in terms of positions in need of surgery. Sherry (if fit) is more than good enough to be first choice for Munster and possibly Ireland, while Casey is a good back up with potential as is Scannell. Moore’s signing would have cost them all in terms of development. Better off focusing what little funds available on Munsters weakest areas with no decent native options aka tighthead and the 10/12 axis and keeping the rest of the family silver after Paulie and JJ’s departure (Zebo, Murray, Earls, Mahony, O’Donnell etc.)
Mike Sherry (if fit) – lol
Lots of players endure a serious long term injury and take a long time to fully regain consistent fitness. By the same token as your ‘lol’ people had written off the careers of Earls, Ryan, Jones and even Paulie in recent years only to see them return to their best.
It’s interesting that they seemed to have the deal done only to have it blocked by the IRFU. What i mean is there must be money available so hopefully they will spend it wisely on a TH or OH. Moore wouldn’t have considered coming over here unless he was offered big bucks.
Good luck to Mike and all that and if he becomes the player you think he can be I’ll be delighted – but the evidence does not point that way – signing Moore was a no-brainer
Amazing that Isa Nasewa was able to rejoin Leinster no problem. Considering the amount of young wingers they have.
It reeks favoritism but nothing is new there considering the influence
of Schmidt.
Let’s hope Schmidt can finally look at giving young players in other provinces a shout at national level
Munster had Amorosino coming off the bench against Leicester while a good home grown option like Ronan O’Mahony played B&I Cup the previous night.
Apologies, O’Mahony didn’t play B&I Cup.
Although i dont wanna sound like im harping on….We need to set up a intra-provincial player exchange. Look at centre in Ulster for example olding mccloskey cave marshal Payne and a good few youngsters coming through I’m sure if one or 2 of them moved to munster/leinster and got some regular action it would only be good for all involved. Same can be said for back row at Leinster where there’s an abundance of good players. I think this would create more balanced teams, stronger more competitive teams without the need for foreign players and ultimately a stronger national team were all its better players are playing regular games. But that’s only my opinion.
The IRFU do my head in somethings, between over flow of Props & Backrows in Leinster , letting Kane Douglas go , letting Ulster sign Pitau despite over glow of talent in their back line , making JJ Hanrshan leave , Having Madigan & Sexton at the same province etc and now rejecting the best Hooker in the world with Moore
I’m also surprised he’s going back to Queensland Reds as they’d be a weaker team the Brumbies who nearly won Super Rugby last year ,
How did the irfu let Douglas go or make jj leave??
Some fans forgetting that Munster isn’t an independent entity like the clubs in France and England! It’s there so that the IRFU have control of its players.
And there in lies the problem. Little surprise so that Connaught are performing so well as IRFU doesn’t interfere with them that much (besides making their best players move).
Any chance of a tighthead then?