Wallabies in danger of losing Hanigan to ambitious French club just as forward enters his prime
Ned Hanigan is one of the in-form forwards in Australian rugby who looks set to finally turn promise into quality on the international stage,…
Stephen Moore is desperate to get his hands on the Bledisloe Cup for the first time before he ends his Wallabies career.
Moore has four months left at Test level until his retirement and is keen to do as much as he can to restore Australia’s international rugby reputation before he moves on.
The best and most satisfying way to do that – as unrealistic as it might sound after a nightmare Super Rugby season from local sides – would be to end the country’s 14-year series drought against New Zealand.
Moore made his green and gold debut in 2005, meaning he missed Australia’s last Bledisloe Cup triumph by two years.
He also has a miserable overall record against the reigning world champions.
In 27 matches against the All Blacks – including a World Cup final – Moore has only tasted victory five times.
But he said coach Michael Cheika’s intensive fitness camp in Newcastle this week is the first step towards finally getting Australia Bledisloe-ready.
“That’s one of the ultimates in our sport and for our team. We know the size of the challenge and that’s why we’re here training hard,” Moore said.
“We want to give ourselves the best chance to do well.”
The series begins on August 19 at ANZ Stadium in Sydney, with game two in Dunedin a week later before a potential decider in Moore’s home town of Brisbane in October.
Moore said players were aware they were the only ones with the power to put smiles back on the faces of Australian rugby fans.
“We have the capacity to change the view of rugby, via the vehicle of the Wallabies,” he said.
“We need to embrace that. I’ve always taken that very seriously in my role as a Wallaby that we have the capacity to inspire people and to make people happy and proud.
“That’s meant a lot to me in my career whenever we’ve been able to achieve that, it’s one of the great things about playing for your country.”
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