Battle lines drawn as Brumbies captain Stephen Moore makes shock move to Queensland Reds

ON the day the code formally announced a $285 million broadcast deal, Australian rugby broke out in a civil war over the future of Wallabies captain Stephen Moore.

HAMILTON, NEW ZEALAND - AUGUST 03: Stephen Moore of the Brumbies thanks the crowd after losing the Super Rugby Final match between the Chiefs and the Brumbies at Waikato Stadium on August 3, 2013 in Hamilton, New Zealand. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

ON the day the code formally announced a $285 million broadcast deal, Australian rugby broke out in a civil war over the future of Wallabies captain Stephen Moore.

The ACT Brumbies issued a scathing press release on Thursday afternoon, with CEO Michael Jones announcing Moore will join the Queensland Reds from 2017.

Reds CEO Jim Carmichael last night refused to confirm whether Brisbane-raised Moore was heading back to Queensland after playing 102 games with the Brumbies since 2009.

But Carmichael did fire a shot at the Brumbies for making an announcement separate from the ARU and QRU.

“I’m particularly surprised that the Brumbies CEO Michael Jones seems to have undermined the current Wallabies captain by suggesting he is leaving the Brumbies to join another Australian franchise over money,’’ Carmichael said.

“All Australian Super Rugby provinces must abide by the ARU’s national contracting rules, to ensure that no team can pay more than another when it’s a nationally contracted player.

“The player then has the right to join the team of his choosing.

“From our perspective, we believe that Stephen has rejected overseas offers to play out his career in Australia and remain a proud Wallaby.”

In Canberra, Jones savaged 102-Test veteran Moore, setting the scene for an explosive trial between the sides at Ballymore on February 12 next year.

“We are exceedingly disappointed about today’s (Thursday) announcement that Stephen Moore will leave the Brumbies at the end of 2016,” Jones said.

“Stephen Larkham (Brumbies coach) 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.

“Following those negotiations, a very generous long-term offer was first agreed by his agent and was submitted to Moore late last Thursday.”

Jones said Brumbies powerbrokers were shocked by Moore’s decision to link with the Reds, where he played 46 games between 2003-2008 after attending Brisbane Grammar School and playing for the University club.

Former Brumbies skipper Stephen Moore has signed with the Reds.

“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 said.

“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.

“(The discussions) left us in no doubt and with a clear impression that his long-term future would be with the Brumbies if we met the demands we were given.

“We met every one of those demands.’’

Moore will be 34 by the time the 2017 Super Rugby season starts.

As recently as Monday, Moore was reportedly set to re-sign with both the ARU and the Brumbies through to the 2019 World Cup in Japan.

He had been linked to a possible move to Europe with Irish powerhouse Munster.

His arrival at the Reds would be a major coup given the leadership and experience void at Ballymore after key departures at the end of this season.

■ THE funeral for rugby great Jake Howard will be held at St Joseph’s church at Bardon at 11am on Friday.

Originally published as Battle lines drawn as Brumbies captain Stephen Moore makes shock move to Queensland Reds