Brian Moore (rugby union)

Early life

Moore was born to single mother Rina Kirk in Birmingham, abandoned by his Malaysian father. His mother gave him up for adoption at 7 months old to Methodist lay preachers Ralph (deceased) and Dorothy Moore, who moved to Halifax, West Yorkshire, where he lived in Illingworth and attended the Crossley and Porter School, and he first played rugby union for the Old Crossleyans. Moore's adoptive parents had two daughters of their own and adopted three children as well as Moore.

In December 2009, Moore revealed to the media that he was sexually abused in a tent during a camping trip and in a classroom storeroom when he was 9 by a male schoolteacher who also abused other boys of the same age. He was too ashamed to tell his adoptive parents as the abuser was a churchgoing friend of theirs. The shame he felt at being a victim made him keep silent about it until he told the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre in London in 2008. He said the trauma made him ferociously competitive on the rugby field, and commented "If you have been abused, you feel tainted by association with the awfulness of the crime."

Education

Moore studied law at the University of Nottingham gaining an LLB (Hons) degree in 1984 and was awarded an honorary Doctorate in Law on 14 July 2010.

Rugby career

Moore played as an amateur senior for Nottingham, the club where he made his name. During his time at Nottingham he won his first England caps and toured Australia with the British and Irish Lions. In 1990 he moved to London to train as a solicitor, and played for Harlequins. Moore ended his club career at Richmond.

Moore represented England, winning a total of 64 England caps between 1987 and 1995, making him the 13th most-capped Englishman (as of July 2007). Known for reading Shakespeare – in particular, parts of Henry V before a game in the dressing room to his team mates, Moore played in three Rugby World Cups including in 1991 where along with Jason Leonard and Jeff Probyn he was part of a destructive English front row as they reached the final, losing a tight match 12–6 to Australia at Twickenham. Moore was also a member of the England side which won Grand Slams in 1991, 1992 and 1995. In 1991, he was voted Rugby World Player of the Year, a decade before the sport's governing body (the IRB), began its awards programme.

He went on two British and Irish Lions tours, winning five test caps. In Australia in 1989, the Lions won the series 2–1, and Moore was famously caught celebrating the morning after on Sydney Harbour Bridge, doing aeroplane impressions.

Having been a vocal critic of referees for many years, Moore took the Rugby Football Union's Entry Level Referee Award course and qualified as a referee in 2010.

Professional career

Moore trained as a City solicitor, and he was a partner in both Edward Lewis LLP, and later Memery Crystal LLP. Although still qualified to practise, he has not done so since 2003.

Media career

After retirement, Moore continued his legal career, and was asked regularly by the BBC to supplement their rugby commentary team. It is his full-time career, and he regularly commentates alongside Eddie Butler on the BBC's rugby union coverage, including the English matches in the Six Nations Championship. He does not mince his words: in 2008, he was heard to yell "They've kicked it away again, for God's sake!", when England did not run the ball in Rome, and shouted "You halfwit!" when an England forward played a French restart which had fallen short of the required ten metres, causing England to lose possession when they would otherwise have been awarded a scrum. His 6 Nations broadcasting was, as part of the overall BBC coverage, shortlisted in the Sport category of the 2011 BAFTA Television Awards..

Moore covered the 2011 Rugby World Cup for TalkSport Radio as lead co-commentator. He commentated on this tournament alongside Michael Owen, Scott Quinnell, Gavin Hastings, Paul Wallace, Phil Vickery John Taylor, Andrew McKenna & David Campese. The coverage was shortlisted in the Broadcast of the Year category in the 2011 Sport's Journalists Awards. He returned to talksport in 2013 for their exclusively live coverage of the British & Irish Lions Tour of Australia, he presented every tour match live with Mark Saggers and commentated on the 3 test matches live. He commentated with Andrew McKenna, David Campese, Shane Williams, Michael Lynagh, Sean Holley & Sir Ian McGeechan. He joined talksport permanently in 2013-14 and now hosts their rugby show, Full Contact, every Sunday from 8pm-10pm. He also co-hosts the Sports Breakfast alongside Alan Brazil on Tuesday Mornings from 6am-10am.

Moore writes on rugby with a Monday column for the Daily Telegraph and was shortlisted for Sports Journalist of the Year in the 2009 British Press Awards. After meeting Richard Stott at a corporate dinner, he wrote a wine column in the Today newspaper, transferred to the Sun for four years.

Moore has made other media appearances, including in November 2008 on Question Time.

Moore has had books published by Simon & Schuster. His updated version of his autobiography, Beware of the Dog (2009), won the 2010 William Hill Sports Book of the Year award, among what was described as one of the strongest shortlists ever assembled. In 2011 it won the Best Autobiography award at the British Sports Book Awards. He has also published The Thoughts of chairman Moore, and More Thoughts of chairman Moore (2011).

He has been a regular invitee at leading UK literary festivals like Hay, Keswick, Dartington Hall, Salisbury and Wimbledon, invariably speaking to large audiences.

Desert Island Discs

Moore was the guest on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs on 24 February 2012 where he was interviewed at length by Kirsty Young. His music choices were Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — Queen of the Night; Ian Dury and The Blockheads — Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick; Genesis — In the Cage; Samuel Barber — Adagio for Strings; Pink Floyd — Us and Them, The Dark Side of the Moon; The Stranglers — Always the Sun; Green Day — Jesus of Suburbia; Pietro Mascagni — The Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana. His choice of book was Germinal by Émile Zola and his luxury choice was a spherical football.

Personal life

Moore's first marriage was to Penny and second marriage was to Lucy Thompson in 2000 in Kensington and Chelsea, London, by which he had a daughter, Imogen. Both those marriages ended in divorce. He is married to his third wife Belinda and has four daughters.

He is a supporter of, and season ticket holder at, Chelsea football club. In 2001 it was reported that he was a life-time Labour Party voter. He left the Party after the decision to go to war in Iraq in 2003 and is now non-affiliated.

Health

In April 2017, he was admitted to St George's Hospital and was under intensive care after suffering a heart attack.