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Moore wants Australia to enjoy Cardiff experience

Moore wants Australia to enjoy Cardiff experience

When Wales take on Australia at Principality Stadium, the crowds come flocking and for Wallabies skipper Stephen Moore, appearing at the home of Welsh rugby ranks up there with the highlights of an illustrious career.

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Moore, the proud owner of 112 Australia caps, first appeared at the stadium in a Rugby World Cup pool stage clash in 2007, an encounter which has stayed with him ever since.

“It was a great occasion,” said Moore. “There were a lot of Aussies in the crowd that day who got the train from Paddington to watch the game. I’ll never forget that.

“It’s always a great place to play rugby and that’s what I’ve said to the players: these stadiums we’re playing at in the next few weeks are some of the greatest rugby grounds in the world. They should enjoy that.”

Moore also knows what it’s like to be part of a big Principality Stadium occasion as a spectator, watching Wales’ famous 24-22 win from the stands as a member of Australia’s travelling squad for the 2005 tour.

“I was in the crowd watching the game and the atmosphere on the day and the size of the stadium was something I probably hadn’t seen before,” he said. “That’s something the guys playing for the first time will certainly encounter.

“The Welsh are always well known for their singing, that’s something they do very well and always a highlight of playing there.

“But so is seeing the little pockets of gold in the crowd at every game. It’s always great to see people who travel over here to watch us play. That makes us very proud to play for them.”

Moore’s most recent appearance at Principality Stadium was somewhat unusual, with Fiji providing the opposition at last year’s Rugby World Cup. But it will be back to facing the more familiar red shirts of Wales at the weekend.

“We know this week’s going to be a tough Test match, it always is in Cardiff,” said Moore. “We respect Wales a lot as opponents, we’ve played them a lot over the last few years. We know they like to attack with the ball and their defence is very good as well.”

Australia’s defence famously held firm in their Rugby World Cup Pool A victory at Twickenham last year, despite having to cope with two players in the sin-bin for seven minutes.

“It was a very tough game and we know this Saturday will be no different,” added Moore. “I was very proud of how the boys defended that day, particularly when we were down to 13 men.

They showed a lot of character but that was a long time ago now – we’ve played a lot of rugby since then, as have Wales.”

Australia’s Bernard Foley, who returns to his more familiar position of fly-half for Saturday’s clash, said the Wallabies’ recent strong record against Wales will not carry much weight come kick-off on Saturday.

“History is probably on our side but it’s something we can’t afford to bank on for this weekend,” he said.

“It’s always a fiery clash and Wales traditionally play a really good style of rugby. It’s going to be a great challenge and one we look forward to.”

Foley has played at Principality Stadium three times, describing his appearances as “an incredible experience”.

He added: “Even the lead-up to the game, walking around the streets of Cardiff… it’s something you don’t get to experience much.

“One of the great memories I have from playing in Cardiff is the hostile crowd. When they start singing, especially during the anthems, you can feel their team lift.

“For us it’s trying to block the crowd out, focus on ourselves and play a style of footy that we’re proud of.”

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