LEINSTER HAVE BEEN dealt another blow with the news that tighthead prop Marty Moore has completed his move to Wasps.
The Premiership club have won the tug-of-war for the Ireland international who will join them ahead of the 2016/2017 season.
Moore, 24, was strongly linked to Wasps earlier this month and was understood to have agreed a deal before Leinster launched an 11th-hour move, backed by Joe Schmidt, to try to keep him in Ireland.
“Naturally we are disappointed to be losing a player of Marty’s calibre in particular having invested in his development over the years but we wish him well,” Leinster head coach Leo Cullen said.
Moore made his Leinster debut in 2012 and went on to break into the Ireland set-up for the 2014 Six Nations, forming part of Schmidt’s back-to-back championship squads and winning 10 caps.
“Marty has already proven his international pedigree with Ireland and, at only 24, he has plenty of years ahead of him to continue his development and become a top-class tighthead,” Wasps’ Director of Rugby Dai Young said.
We already have talented tightheads at the club, but his addition will strengthen the depth we have in this key position and will help to drive competition for places, which is what we are trying to achieve throughout the squad.
Moore, who has been ruled out of the Six Nations with a hamstring injury, becomes the second international to leave Leinster for pastures new in recent weeks following Ian Madigan’s decision to join Top 14 side Bordeaux.
“I am looking forward to working with Dai Young and his coaching team as well as the squad and am excited about the challenge ahead in the Aviva Premiership,” Moore said.
However, up until the move I am fully committed to Leinster Rugby and I would like to thank everyone here as well as the Leinster fans for the support they have shown me.
