Fairytale finish as Moore bows out
FORMER skipper Stephen Moore has hailed Australia’s Bledisloe Cup breakthrough against New Zealand as a landmark moment in the squad’s development.
Moore went out a winner in his last Test match on home soil, coming off the bench late in the second half to help seal a morale-boosting 23-18 victory in Brisbane.
It was a fairytale finish for the 34-year-old, who had family and friends packing the stands and his wife and children join him on stage for a special post-match presentation.
But he was more enthused about what the result would mean for the playing group he will soon leave behind.
“That’s one of the better performances I’ve been a part of, to be honest,” Moore said.
“I’ve been a part of a lot of teams but that was really good. I thought everyone did their job really well and everyone contributed.
“For this group particularly, it’s a really important result.
“I was just really proud to be a part of that group.”
Moore still has next weekend’s clash against the Barbarians and tour matches against Japan, Wales, England and Scotland before he officially retires from international rugby.
He said he would be happy to play any role Michael Cheika asked of him, with the Wallabies coach expected to treat the end-of-season trip as another opportunity to build depth in Australian rugby’s ranks – particularly at hooker.
But Moore will finish up a very satisfied man, particularly with the way a new generation of leaders has emerged.
“I don’t think we’ve had that in this team for a number of years ... there’s five, six, seven players now that are having real input and driving the standards, driving the outcomes,” he said.
“Maybe 12 months ago it was myself and Hoops were probably doing a lot of the stuff. It’s really powerful when that happens.”
Wallabies coach Michael Cheika has resisted the temptation to hit back at Nick FarrJones for doubting whether the team had the mental fortitude to beat the All Blacks.
Earlier this week, former skipper Farr-Jones said he no longer followed the Test side as closely as he once did and questioned if they had enough belief and confidence in their own ability to prevail in the third Bledisloe Cup Test.
But Cheika did not bite back when reminded of Farr-Jones’ comments yesterday.
“Like I’ve always said, everyone’s allowed their opinion,” he told reporters. “I suppose it hurts a little bit, the players in the team (when) a former Australian captain casts doubt on players who wear the gold jersey. But I’ve got maximum respect for Nick Farr-Jones.”