MUNSTER HAVE CONFIRMED the signing of 21-year-old hooker Chris Moore, currently a student at the University of Exeter in England, while the southern province have also awarded full-time contracts to academy players Paddy Patterson, Paddy Kelly and Eoin O’Connor.
The Irish-qualified Moore, who represents his university on the field, played for Ireland U18s Clubs alongside Kelly and O’Connor in 2018.
A native of Trowbridge near Bristol, Moore will join on a one-year deal ahead of the 2022/23 season.
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Scrum-half Patterson has signed a two-year contract, meanwhile, with locks Kelly and O’Connor both signing one for one year. They become the third, fourth and fifth players to recently progress from the Munster academy into Johann van Graan’s senior setup, with back row Alex Kendellen and hooker Scott Buckley having recently signed their own full-time deals.
Dubliner Patterson moved south from Leinster last season and has made four first-team appearances for Munster. The UCD scrum-half, 23, made his debut against Scarlets at Thomond Park in March 2021 and featured off the bench against Glasgow earlier this month.
Currently out of action due to a hamstring injury, Kelly came through St Munchin’s College in Limerick and represents Garryowen at club level. The 22-year-old has scored one try in his nine Munster ‘A’ appearances to date.
Munster scrum-half Paddy Patterson. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
O’Connor, 21, came through the underage ranks at Waterpark RFC in his native Waterford and now represents Young Munster.
Having missed the entirety of last season through injury, O’Connor made his senior debut against Wasps in December.
Moore, meanwhile, is a graduate of Beechen Cliff school in Bath where he played in the back row at senior schools level. It is the same school from which Ulster out-half Billy Burns and his brother Freddie emerged, as did recent England call-up Orlando Bailey and several of his Bath team-mates including Gabriel Hamer-Webb and Tom de Glanville.
Our AASE XV Player of the Season for 2017 is Chris Moore! Voted by his peers to be the player who has consistently made the strongest contribution to the team, week in week out. Pics give just a taste of what he brings to a team #ZTA#Griffinspirit#Upthebeechpic.twitter.com/0MR1vtlDYw
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Munster sign 21-year-old hooker Chris Moore and promote three more players from academy
MUNSTER HAVE CONFIRMED the signing of 21-year-old hooker Chris Moore, currently a student at the University of Exeter in England, while the southern province have also awarded full-time contracts to academy players Paddy Patterson, Paddy Kelly and Eoin O’Connor.
The Irish-qualified Moore, who represents his university on the field, played for Ireland U18s Clubs alongside Kelly and O’Connor in 2018.
A native of Trowbridge near Bristol, Moore will join on a one-year deal ahead of the 2022/23 season.
Scrum-half Patterson has signed a two-year contract, meanwhile, with locks Kelly and O’Connor both signing one for one year. They become the third, fourth and fifth players to recently progress from the Munster academy into Johann van Graan’s senior setup, with back row Alex Kendellen and hooker Scott Buckley having recently signed their own full-time deals.
Dubliner Patterson moved south from Leinster last season and has made four first-team appearances for Munster. The UCD scrum-half, 23, made his debut against Scarlets at Thomond Park in March 2021 and featured off the bench against Glasgow earlier this month.
Currently out of action due to a hamstring injury, Kelly came through St Munchin’s College in Limerick and represents Garryowen at club level. The 22-year-old has scored one try in his nine Munster ‘A’ appearances to date.
O’Connor, 21, came through the underage ranks at Waterpark RFC in his native Waterford and now represents Young Munster.
Having missed the entirety of last season through injury, O’Connor made his senior debut against Wasps in December.
Moore, meanwhile, is a graduate of Beechen Cliff school in Bath where he played in the back row at senior schools level. It is the same school from which Ulster out-half Billy Burns and his brother Freddie emerged, as did recent England call-up Orlando Bailey and several of his Bath team-mates including Gabriel Hamer-Webb and Tom de Glanville.
Moore played as a lock alongside Bailey, Hamer-Webb and de Glanville for Bath U18s back in 2018. Connacht’s Oran McNulty was also part of that side.
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