Brian Moore

England hooker, World Cup finalist, and the most fearless voice in British rugby punditry

Rugby

The story

Brian Moore does not do the diplomatic line.

Sixty-four caps for England between 1987 and 1995, a Rugby World Cup final appearance in 1991, and a place in one of the most ferocious packs the northern hemisphere has ever produced. Moore was the hooker on that front row: small for the position, louder than any of his teammates, and a chippy, articulate, ferociously determined player who made up for the inches with pure attitude. The nickname was Pitbull. It was earned, not given.

He won three Five Nations Grand Slams during his international career, in 1991, 1992 and 1995, and toured with the British and Irish Lions to Australia in 1989 and New Zealand in 1993. The international career ended after the 1995 World Cup in South Africa, a tournament England went into ranked highly and came out of with nothing. Moore's reflections on that campaign, delivered years later, were typically honest and typically uncomfortable.

Post rugby he qualified as a solicitor, wrote a genuinely candid autobiography, and carved out a second career as one of the most recognised voices in BBC rugby. His commentary work for a generation of internationals, alongside Eddie Butler and later Nick Mullins, has been the soundtrack to British rugby television for more than twenty years. He says what other commentators wish they could say, and says it with the authority of having been in the position himself.

Career highlights

  • 64 caps for England between 1987 and 1995
  • Rugby World Cup finalist 1991
  • Three Five Nations Grand Slams: 1991, 1992 and 1995
  • British and Irish Lions tourist to Australia (1989) and New Zealand (1993)
  • BBC rugby commentator and Telegraph columnist for over twenty years
  • Author of the autobiography Beware of the Dog, widely praised for its honesty

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