Having been the heir apparent to Mike Ross, Marty Moore has found himself on the outside of the Ireland set-up, looking in.
Over the space of 12 months, Moore made 10 Test appearances for Ireland and looked set to take over the No.3 jersey from Ross. Then his move from Leinster to Wasps was announced.
He has not played for his country since.
Moore felt he was not getting the pay his potential and performances deserved so he headed to the Aviva Premiership. Joe Schmidt and his coaching staff kept an eye on his progress but the breakthrough of Tadhg Furlong and adaptability of Finlay Bealham meant he was not missed.
Moore has been in and out of the Wasps team but he has made a smart move in deciding his future is in Ireland. Ulster Rugby announced, this morning, that Moore would join the province on a two-year deal from next summer. Ulster director of rugby Les Kiss commented:
“Marty is someone that I know well from his time with the national side and he’s already proven that he’s an international-quality player. He’s a strong scrum and lineout operator, but he also makes positive contributions around the park and that is increasingly important in the modern game.
“At only 26 years of age, I believe that Marty has the potential to get even better and I know that he has the hunger and work ethic to do that. He’s determined to earn a starting position in a competitive environment here at Ulster, and also put himself back in contention for Ireland selection off the back of strong performances for us.”
As for the man himself, he commented, “I’m really looking forward to the challenge of playing for Ulster and it will be brilliant to have the opportunity to work with a few familiar faces.
“I know a number of the players pretty well and they speak very highly of the professionalism of the club and the ambition that it has.”
Next stop Belfast. Show some of that Leinster form and he may get an invitation back to Ireland HQ at Carton House late next year.
