Moore line-out perfection to come

As a hooker you can't ask for too much more than 100 per cent when it comes to line-out throwing, and Australian hooker Stephen Moore has done just that of late.

As a hooker you can't ask for too much more than 100 per cent when it comes to line-out throwing, and Australian hooker Stephen Moore has done just that of late.

In four World Cup games he did not throw one crooked line-out, and followed that up with another perfect display against Ireland last weekend.

The fact Australia did not lose any line-out ball on its throw and stole four Irish throw-ins was a key factor in the win.

“I suppose as a hooker it's something you've got to pride yourself on,” Moore told The Australian.

“That's a bit of a marker as to how well you are throwing, I guess.

“If I can keep going in that vein, I'll be happy. But it takes a lot of hard work and that's what I'm willing to do.

“I've been working really hard on the set piece side of my game.

“I think that's got to a pretty consistent level now. I've been working hard on my line-out throwing and doing a lot of work with the jumpers and timing and stuff like that. That's helped me a lot with my accuracy.

“I find the best thing for it is just throwing to live jumpers. You can stand there and throw it at a pole all day, but it's not until you get to throw to the jumpers, and every jumper is different, that you get that real precision.”

It has not all been easy throwing for Moore, who went through a bad patch before his hard work kicked in and he began to hit his jumpers on a regular basis.

“The turning point was last year,” Moore said.

“Maybe in a Test against Wales I had a couple of crooked throws and it just didn't seem to be happening that day.

“I went back to square one and just really broke it down with 'Foles' (Wallabies re-starts coach Michael Foley) and did a lot of work with where I stood and how I lined up with my jumpers and the arc of the throw.

“It's quite technical stuff and I narrowed it down to a couple of simple points and I've been sticking to them and, touch wood, it's been pretty consistent. I try to keep my action simple and consistent.

“Throwing is a thing you can never say you've mastered.

“It's very much like goal-kicking.

“You've got to be practising day in, day out to make sure you keep that consistency.”

Moore is also working on his role as a scrum organiser.

“The important thing is getting used to how your props and your back five respond to different situations and what you tell them during the game,” he said.

“Some guys you can't yell at. Some guys you need to be fairly detailed, whereas some guys you give them a tap and they know what to do.”

A strong ball-runner, Moore's skills should suit the new style of attack being implemented by coach Robbie Deans.

“I like to get the ball in my hands,” Moore said. “If I can get my set piece work right, hopefully that will follow.

“It's all pretty new at the moment with our patterns.

“The guys will become more comfortable with the way we want to play the game and eventually it will become second nature.”

Moore said France would pose a strong challenge to the forwards in the first Test in Sydney on Saturday week.

“You always know they are going to have a lot of good athletes in their pack,” said Moore, who has come off the bench against France in two previous Tests.

“They have a couple of really athletic back-rowers and obviously all of their props are pretty match-hardened and good scrummagers.

“You know they are going to be a good scrummaging side, a good mauling side and pretty athletic around the park.”