Few smiles as Stephen Moore gets down to serious business of leading Wallabies

THEY take some coaxing but Stephen Moore will probably crack a smile when named Wallaby captain No. 80 on Monday in Queensland.

Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie and Stephen Moore front the media last year.

THEY take some coaxing but Stephen Moore will probably crack a smile when named Wallaby captain No. 80 on Monday in Queensland.

He may even pull another out post-match if his Wallabies beat France on Saturday.

Where you won’t see a smile is if Australia loses the match. Whatsmore, if the Moore captaincy has taken immediate hold, there won’t be the slightest shred of mirth on any Wallaby face.

“He’s probably one of the last old-school guys getting around,” explains an ex-Wallaby teammate.

“He could never understand blokes getting around after games we’d lost laughing and smiling and all that stuff. He absolutely hates losing.

“He takes the responsibility of playing for Australia very seriously.”

It had already faded significantly, but the appointment of Moore as Test captain will mark the precise moment the age of indifference disappears completely from within the Wallabies ranks.

Gone will be the signs of apparent apathy after defeat, lax discipline before games will be no longer and any ego-driven, me-first behaviour within the team environment will be rewarded with an on-the-spot performance review. A blunt one.

Stephen Moore ‘absolutely hates losing’.

As he has exhibited throughout his own career, Moore will take the Wallabies to the 2015 World Cup with a leadership philosophy of demanding the highest of standards off his team — on and off-field.

“He’s always extremely meticulous in how he prepares, more so than any other bloke I’ve ever seen,” says a Brumbies insider.

“And he expects that of everyone else as well.”

And those that don’t aim up?

“Oh they will definitely know about it. He has no time for pretenders.”

Moore’s elevation to Test captaincy is, in other words, perfect for the job of turning a talented group into World Cup winners.

Ewen McKenzie played under Nick Farr-Jones in 1991 and joined the Wallabies as an assistant coach months after John Eales skippered Australia to a second World Cup win in 1999.

Both captains drove high standards and a team environment where they were self-policed.

It has taken a like-mind in McKenzie — a colleague in the “speak softly and carry a big stick” category — to see Moore elevated to a long-expected official position of leadership.

For years he has been oddly overlooked. Moore was considered a strong contender to captain Queensland but a 22-year-old James Horwill was preferred, and a personality clash and subsequent “cold war” with Jake White scrubbed him out of another natural elevation at the Brumbies.

Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie and Stephen Moore front the media last year.

White and Moore eventually thawed their relationship to the point of mutual admiration, but overall, it has taken a remarkable 12 seasons for Moore to finally run a team out as captain on a full-time basis.

The 31-year-old’s work behind the scenes has long been important, however, particularly in 91-Tests with the Wallabies.

When it all threatened to go pear-shaped for the Wallabies in 2012, with injuries, toxic avengers and coaching drama hitting hard, Nathan Sharpe and Moore saved the sinking ship with a return to old school Wallaby values. Hard work and team unity above all else.

It was basic but it worked; they drew with the All Blacks and only lost one game on the Spring Tour.

That will be the foundation of the Moore era, and with McKenzie’s smarts and the talents of Folau et al now sprinkled on top, it makes for a potent World Cup blend.

The revelation of Moore’s deputies will be equally important, however.

Not just for the fact that Tatafu Polota-Nau is in such brutal form that the vice-captain will be stepping up for at least 25 minutes a game, but in all likelihood, Moore’s appointment won’t be a long-term one.

The captaincy and a small family may change things but Moore has been tipped to play offshore after 2015, which brings progression planning into play.

Michael Hooper is highly regarded and could well be the man to learn at Moore’s heel for the next two seasons.