Moore moves to Connacht and heaven

RUGBY: Johnny Watterson talks to Connacht's current captain Shane Moore who is no newcomer to the role having skippered UCD.

By nature Steph Nel is not an impulsive coach. So, his decision to replace injured Connacht captain Tim Allnutt with vice-captains 23-year-old Shane Moore and seasoned Australian international Warwick Waugh was not a desperate act.

Moore, who has captained UCD for the past three years during their transformation from a useful Division Two All-Ireland League side to one of the main players last season in Division One, clearly has the leader's gene. What he was, and still is part of at Belfield, is their successful brand of intelligent running rugby.

Also a former captain of the Irish under-21 team, the Dubliner set off for Galway this year with the aim to take the step up from club to European and Celtic League level. Sharing a Galway house with UCD full back Dermot O'Sullivan and St Mary's James Norton softened the move with Moore not just coping with the greater demands but also thriving on them.

"I suppose it was a great vote of confidence to be handed the vice-captain's job," said Moore. "It definitely has given me confidence. But if I don't play well I couldn't expect to be on the team. I didn't have a good game against Pontypridd, although it looked a bit better on the video. I'm more confident this week looking towards the match ahead than I was last week."

Last weekend Connacht repaired the damage caused by being holed below the waterline by Pontypridd - they were hammered 40-0. Their task against Mont-de-Marsan was to flush the Pontypridd result out of their heads and regain their natural buoyancy. That they did.

"Against Mont-de-Marsan we changed a few things. We'd more options across the board. Everyone got into the game because they were getting ball into their hands. It was a big turn-a-round from the Ponty game.

"We played wider, with more continuity, we'd more off-load and we gained more yards. Steph managed to get us out of ourselves. That allowed us to bring more people into the game," says the centre.

Named as Connacht captain for the match against Mont-de-Marsan, it was the first time he held the role in a competitive game.

"It was a surprise for me to be given the role. Tim is still captain for the season even though he is injured. On the pitch it's easier to captain a side with top-quality players. There is a lot of pressure taken off you because those players know what they are doing."

His fondness for the ethos of UCD rugby lives with him. He will return to Belfield for the AIL when the campaign in Galway draws to a close but the agreeable philosophy and the kindly schooling of the university has travelled with him as a welcome companion.

"It is about results now but there is enjoyment too. Although it is result-driven, it hasn't hampered me much. It is a natural progression for me. The results here do matter but we enjoy our rugby. The UCD ethos was good for the development of my game. It helped everyone. The support off the pitch was also amazing. On the pitch results did matter but off it people have other lives. That made it enjoyable."

The return leg against the French team this weekend in the Challenge Cup followed by the team's away fixture to Glasgow in the Celtic League, which will determine if they get a home quarter-final, are Connacht's two current primary goals.

But no team looks too far ahead for fear of losing its bearings and nor does the Business and Legal Studies graduate. It is a natural instinct to dream about and Irish shirt, but one for now he is inclined to suppress.

"Obviously it crosses your mind, but it is going to be very difficult to play for Ireland. I just think of maintaining my place on the Connacht team. I look after my own game. Regarding Ireland, there are countless people ahead of me now. That's the truth. I got a lucky break here. There's plenty of talent in Connacht, never mind the rest of the country."

Self contained, Moore may be away from UCD but he's still undergoing an education. Learning is his game, one he prefers to keep to himself.

"I know my weakness myself and my strengths myself. My weaknesses are getting weaker and my strengths getting stronger, I think. So I suppose I'm going in the right direction."