Brian Moore

Brian C. Moore (born 11 January 1962) is an English former rugby union footballer. He played as a hooker, and is currently a rugby presenter and pundit on the BBC.

Biography

Born in Birmingham,^[1] his Methodist lay preacher adoptive parents moved to Halifax, West Yorkshire,^[2] where he attended the Crossley and Porter School, and he first played rugby union for the Old Crossleyans.^[3]

Rugby career

Moore studied law at the University of Nottingham, and played as an amateur senior for Nottingham.^[2] On graduation, he moved to London to train as a solicitor, and played for the club where he made his name, Harlequins. Moore ended his club career at Richmond.

Moore represented England, winning a total of 64 England caps between 1987 and 1995, making him the 13th most-capped Englishman (as of July 2007). Known for reading Shakespeare - in particular, parts of Henry V before a game in the dressing room to his team mates,^[2] Moore played in three Rugby World Cups including in 1991 where along with Jason Leonard and Jeff Probyn he was part of a destructive English front row as they reached the final, losing a tight match 12-6 to Australia at Twickenham. Moore was also a member of the England side which won Grand Slams in 1991, 1992 and 1995. In 1991, he was voted Rugby World Player of the Year, a decade before the sport's governing body (the IRB), began its awards programme.

He went on two British and Irish Lions tours, winning five test caps. In Australia in 1989, the Lions won the series 2-1, and Brian was famously caught celebrating the morning after on Sydney Harbour Bridge, doing aeroplane impressions.

Non-rugby career

Moore trained as a City solicitor, and he was a partner in both Edward Lewis LLP, and later Memery Crystal LLP.^[3] Although still qualified to practise, he has not done so since 2003.^[3][4]

Media career

After retirement, Moore continued his legal career, and was asked regularly by the BBC to supplement their rugby commentary team. It is currently his full time career, and he regularly commentates alongside Eddie Butler on the BBC's rugby union coverage, including the English matches in the Six Nations Championship. He does not mince his words: in 2008, he was heard to yell "They've kicked it away again, for God's sake!", when England did not run the ball in Rome, and shouted "You halfwit!" when an England forward played a French re-start which had fallen short of the required ten metres, causing England to lose possession when they would otherwise have been awarded a scrum.

Moore writes on rugby and occasional sports matters, with a Monday and Thursday column for the Daily Telegraph. After meeting Richard Stott at a corporate dinner, he began writing a wine column in the Today newspaper,^[2] now transferred to the Sun.

Moore has made other media appearances, including in November 2008 on Question Time.

Personal life

Married with 2 children, he is a supporter of Chelsea football club, and a lifelong supporter of the Labour Party.^[2]

In late 2009 Moore revealed that he was sexually abused by a schoolteacher as a young boy. He was too ashamed to tell his adoptive parents as the abuser was a church going friend of theirs. He said the trauma made him ferociously competitive on the rugby field, and commented "If you have been abused, you feel tainted by association with the awfulness of the crime."^[5]

Notes and references

External links

• Brian Moore's column in the Daily Telegraph