He’s got Irish parents, an Irish passport, a cousin who plays International Rules for the Shamrock Isle and loves returning to his first home to play for the Wallabies.
But stalwart hooker Stephen Moore is desperate to finally end his own Test curse on Irish soil when Australia meets Ireland at Aviva Stadium on Sunday morning (AEDT).
Moore has travelled to Dublin three times to play Ireland but the best he could enjoy was a heart-breaking last-gasp draw at Croke Park which dashed Wallabies’ hopes of a 2009 grand slam.
In his first visit in 2005, he lost his place in Eddie Jones’ team before a 30-16 win, while Australia were bashed up and taught a harsh lesson in wet-weather football at Lansdowne Road in 2006.
“It hasn’t been great,” the Wallabies’ most-capped front-rower said. “Hopefully that will change this weekend.
“It’s always a special week (for me), very much so, particularly over here.
“There’s always lots of people to catch up with and find tickets for.
“My dad’s from Galway and my mum from Mayo, so there’s always a lot of talk about their football team too.”
Among those are cousin Paddy O’Rourke, a Gaelic football star who played goalkeeper for the Irish side in last month’s International Rules series against Australia’s Indigenous AFL team.
O’Rourke showed Moore around Croke Park, the spiritual home of Gaelic football, before the 2009 clash when Brian O’Driscoll’s last-minute try snatched a memorable draw.
Born in Saudi Arabia, Moore’s parents moved back to Salt Hill, just outside Galway, when he was a baby and he lived his first five years there before settling in Brisbane.
He gained Ireland’s attention as a teenager and was tempted to take up their advances to don the emerald green jersey at 19.
“There was a bit of interest there, obviously with my background, but I think at the time my head was spinning about everything,” the 88-Test hooker admitted.
“When it came down to it, it wasn’t a difficult decision. I had always grown up following Australia and wanting to play for the Wallabies.”
Moore has been an ironman for both the Brumbies and Wallabies this year, playing more minutes than any other player in the country in racking up 29 matches and rarely getting an early shower.
He was voted the players’ player – Man Of Gold – in the 50-20 win over Italy on the weekend and Australia again need him at his best against the rugged Irish pack.
“It’s going to be a tight contest in terms of close-quarters rugby and set-piece contests,” he said.