Chris Moore (EURFC Hooker)

EURFC Hooker Chris Moore signs for Munster

The announcement may have been lost in the build up to Varsity last Wednesday, but just after midday, EURFC hooker Chris Moore was finally able to let the secret out… he will be a Munster player next season.

The Irish qualified hooker has been a revelation this season for EURFC, becoming famed for his work-rate around the park and booming tackle, that have seen many a player left wondering what exactly has just hit them.

Moore has made 16 BUCS Super Rugby appearances to date for the side, with his impressive performances week after week alerting Munster to his ability and offering him a professional contract for next season.

“I’m Irish qualified and I’ve been in contact with IQ Rugby throughout university. Munster reached out as they were in need of a hooker and IQ suggested they take a look at me,” he explained. “They liked what they saw I guess, and it’s just gone from there. It seems to be a good fit.”

With the announcement made just hours before last week’s Varsity fixture, Moore admitted that he “knew [he] had to play well,” but was thrilled to finally be able to tell people.

“It was a hugely exciting day for me. There were loads of messages around Varsity and the announcement as well, but I’m really happy to be able to tell people now.”

With the likes of British and Irish Lions Simon Zebo, Conor Murray and Peter O’Mahony in the Munster side, Moore admitted that it would be “a huge step up,” but was relishing every moment training and playing alongside world class talent.

“BUCS Super Rugby is a really good standard but that professional setup, with those fantastic Munster players will be massive. I’m looking forward to getting stuck in and showing as a player what I’m about. I want to show my assets and also learn off of them as well. There’re so many talented players in that squad and I can’t wait to get going in pre-season.”

The hooker also praised the development of BUCS Super Rugby into a viable player pathway into the professional game, citing the number of players across the league that have the potential to go professional.

“BUCS Super Rugby is showing that it is such a pool for player talent and development. The cliché that rugby is a late-development sport gets banded around a lot, but it really is. In every team in this league, there are multiple players who could go professional.”

Moore also stressed the importance of “working hard whilst you’re at university and making the most of those opportunities.”

“This year doing a Masters, it’s been okay splitting time between my academics and university rugby, but being able to focus purely on rugby, alongside world class players and coaches is brilliant. I want to improve, and I just want to get that shirt on and play. I love the club, so this is just huge.”

Speaking about Moore’s signing ahead of the 2022/23 season, University Director of Rugby Keith Fleming was thrilled to see another player progress through the university ranks into the professional game.

“Chris is a phenomenal player and his work-rate around the park is something that makes him stand out on the field,” noted Fleming.

“It’s a huge signing for Chris, but also for the club and the league in general. The player pathway here in Exeter is a superb one and whether it takes our students into the Exeter Chiefs programme, the Munster programme like Chris, or any other professional side, signings like this continue to prove the strength of our own programme here at Exeter University. I wish Chris all the best for next season and I’m sure, like all of us, he will want to end his time here with EURFC on a high.”

Harry Scott-Munro (Head of EURFC Media) 

Date: 3 March 2022