Ireland blow as Moore to miss autumn Test series
The 23-year-old tighthead suffered a “bang on his shoulder” in Leinster’s 20-3 victory at Zebre on Saturday, coach Leo Cullen has confirmed.
Moore would have competed with Leinster team-mate Mike Ross for Ireland’s starting tighthead spot in November’s three-Test Guinness Series.
The five-cap front-rower’s absence adds to Ireland boss Joe Schmidt’s injury problems, with Sean O’Brien, Cian Healy and Fergus McFadden all out of autumn action.
“Marty got a bang on his shoulder,” said Leinster forwards coach Cullen.
“He’s with a specialist at the moment but it looks like he’ll probably be out for around 12 weeks.
Experienced tighthead Ross missed the weekend trip to Zebre but will be back in contention for Leinster’s European Champions Cup opener against Wasps in Dublin on Sunday.
Meanwhile Glasgow Warriors players have kept their counsel after Ulster second row Alan O’Connor was cited for alleged foul play that left their team-mate Mark Bennett unconscious and coach Gregor Townsend claiming he had been choke tackled.
The Glasgow centre had to be stretchered off in the second half of the 29-9 Guinness Pro12 victory for the province at the Kingspan Stadium on Saturday.
After the game, Townsend said: “He got choke tackled and lost consciousness for a bit, but he has fully recovered now.”
O’Connor has been cited for an alleged action contrary to Law 10.4 (e), which pertains to dangerous tackling and 10.4(m), which deals with acts contrary to good sportsmanship.
A hearing will be held this week, with the exact details still to be confirmed.
Speaking at a ‘come and try’ rugby session at a shopping centre in Glasgow, Warriors prop Euan Murray said: “We are not really allowed to comment on it so we will leave it up to the officials.
“But it is really good to see that he is okay. It is never nice to see your team-mate down for so long but it is good to see he’s fine.”
At the same event, stand-off Finn Russell was also reluctant to get drawn too deeply into the controversy, adding: “I wasn’t too sure what happened at the time. If it has been deliberate, that is not part of the game but I don’t know, we will wait and see what the outcome is.”
England head coach Stuart Lancaster has settled on 80% of his World Cup squad, but refuses to dismiss Sam Burgess’s prospects of inclusion.
Burgess’s union debut for Bath has been delayed until December at the earliest after he broke his cheekbone in South Sydney Rabbitohs’ NRL Grand Final win just over a week ago.
The powerful 25-year-old has told Lancaster he has targeted a spot in his 31-man squad for England 2015, the majority of which the head coach insists has already been inked in.
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