Stewart Moore

Stewart Moore
Date of birth (1999-08-08) 8 August 1999 (age 25)
Place of birthBallymoney, Northern Ireland
Height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight91 kg (14.3 st; 201 lb)
SchoolDalriada School
Ballymena Academy
UniversityBelfast Metropolitan College
Rugby union career
Position(s) Centre
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
Ballymoney RFC ()
2021-22 Malone 1 (5)
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2019– Ulster 73 (75)
Correct as of 8 December 2024[1]
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2019 Ireland U20 2 (10)
2022 Emerging Ireland 2 (5)
Correct as of 15 October 2022

Stewart Moore (born 8 August 1999) is an Irish rugby union player who plays centre for Ulster. Ulster coach Dan McFarland describes him as "a lovely balanced runner who can cause defences problems".[2] Ulster and Ireland wing Jacob Stockdale calls him " a serious talent ... one of those players where everything seems to come naturally for him. Really good passer, kicker, good feet ... a very, very talented all-rounder".[3]

A native of Ballymoney, County Antrim, Moore first began playing rugby aged 6 with the minis section of Ballymoney rugby club, though he dropped the sport to play football instead, before returning to rugby at Dalriada School. From there, Moore was brought into the Ulster under-16s setup, and he moved to Ballymena Academy to focus on rugby. He played for Ireland at under-18 and under-19 level, missed out on the 2019 Six Nations Under 20s Championship, where Ireland won a grand slam,[4] due to a serious concussion. He recovered to play in the 2019 World Rugby Under 20 Championship,[5] but dislocated his shoulder against Australia.[4] He played club rugby in the All-Ireland League with Malone,[4] and joined the Ulster academy ahead of the 2018–19 season,[6] while studying biology at Belfast Metropolitan College.[4]

Moore made his senior competitive debut for Ulster while an academy player in their 54–42 defeat against Leinster in the 2018–19 Pro14 on 20 December 2019,[7] and also featured against the Cheetahs in February 2020.[8] He signed a three-year contract with the senior team, as a development player for the first year, ahead of the 2020–21 season.[9] In that first season, he made twelve appearances, including 11 starts, and scored six tries. In 2021–22 he made fourteen appearances, including eight starts.[1] In April 2022 he signed a new contract with Ulster, to run until the summer of 2025.[2] He was selected for the Emerging Ireland squad for the Toyota Challenge in South Africa in September 2022.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b Playing statistics at itsrugby.co.uk
  2. ^ a b "Ulster lock down young talent Stewart Moore with new deal", The 42, 12 April 2022
  3. ^ Patrick McCarry, "'He’s a seriously talented wee man!' - Jacob Stockdale on Ulster's next great hope", Sports Joe, 21 December 2019
  4. ^ a b c d "Hotshot: Ulster and Ireland U20 centre Stewart Moore". Rugby World. 10 November 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  5. ^ Jonathan Bradley, "Ulster's Stewart Moore ready to take on world ahead of belated Ireland Under-20s debut", Belfast Telegraph, 4 June 2019
  6. ^ Gareth Fullerton, "Ulster Rugby Academy names 19-man squad for new season", Belfast Live, 25 July 2018
  7. ^ "Who are the four players set for Ulster debuts at Leinster? All you need to know about Jack Regan, Azur Allison, Stewart Moore and Ethan McIlroy". Belfast Telegraph. 19 December 2019. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  8. ^ Ulster Rugby: Who Did What 2019-20, The Front Row Union, 1 October 2020
  9. ^ "Rea and Moore recommit to Ulster". Ulster Rugby. 28 January 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  10. ^ "Emerging Ireland Squad Named For Toyota Challenge In Bloemfontein", Irish Rugby, 14 September 2022