» Scolari named Chelsea boss

» Turks break Swiss hearts

» Portugal sweep home

» Italy to ring the changes

» Olympic Q&A: Sifiso Nhlapo

» Habana's leading role

» Defeat not an option

» Croatia need more

Today, 04 July 2008

» 2010 transport plan in trouble

» Smash, but no grab

» Not so unusual for Africa?

» End of the gap-year?

» 'Hakuna Motata!'

Yesterday, 03 July 2008

» Home loan not for cars

» Joe handed Bok start

» Smit blasts Krige

» Crime stats breakdown

» Durban misses beach date

After weeks of speculation the Brumbies have signed Wallabies and Reds hooker Stephen Moore for the 2009 season.

The 25-year-old joins the Canberra-based franchise from the Reds, where he made his Super Rugby debut in 2003.

Moore, who has been one of the form hookers of the 2008 Super 14, has played 20 Tests for Australia and has an existing contract with the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) until the end of 2009.

Moore says he’s looking forward to playing his rugby in Canberra.

"I've always enjoyed the Brumbies' style of rugby and I believe it will suit my game," he said.

"There is a strong focus on player development at the Brumbies and this was a great chance to continue my progress as part of a world-class rugby programme.

"I've played a fair bit of rugby with guys like Stirling Mortlock, George Smith, Guy Shepherdson, Mark Chisholm and Stephen Hoiles at Wallaby level, and having the opportunity to play regular football with them at the Brumbies was very appealing.

"There's a great culture at the Brumbies, there are a lot of world class players throughout their playing roster as well as a number of excellent young players coming through the ranks.

"I'm really excited about joining the Brumbies next year and keen to contribute to a successful season in 2009 and beyond," added the hooker.

Brumbies coach Laurie Fisher, who coached Moore at Australian Under-21 level, says the Moore will be a valuable addition to the Brumbies' pack.

"Steve [Moore] is undoubtedly one of the premier front row forwards in Australia," he said. "

He's worked very hard on the technical aspects of his game. He's a consistent line-out thrower, he's an excellent scrummager and he’s extremely strong in contact.

"He's very mobile for a big man and at 25 he’s still young for a front row forward and has plenty of development left in his game," added Fisher.

Brumbies Rugby CEO Andrew Fagan says Moore will become another Test star in the Brumbies' Wallaby-laden forward pack.

"We're very pleased that Steve will be joining the Brumbies for 2009," he said.

"We can appreciate that there was significant interest from elsewhere for a player of his calibre but we're pleased that he will continue his rugby development as part of the best rugby programme in the world.

"He is currently regarded as the top hooker in the country and we take tremendous pride in the fact that we can continue to attract players of Steve's quality to our programme.

"With Steve joining the likes of Guy Shepherdson, Nic Henderson, Mark Chisholm, Mitchell Chapman, George Smith and Stephen Hoiles, we're looking forward to the Brumbies boasting one of the strongest forward packs in the Super 14 competition in 2009," added Fagan.