There's a teenager on the Gold Coast who will be the next superstar of Australian rugby. And he's a prop.

"Surely it can't be true?" Moore thought. Then he set eyes on a fresh-faced James Slipper and knew it was.

Slipper stepped right into the Reds' Super Rugby squad after representing the Australian Schoolboys in three-straight years.

A Queensland debut followed in 2010, with a maiden Wallabies appearance coming in the same year.

Fast forward to now and Slipper is set to draw level with Moore as Australia's most capped Super Rugby player. Fittingly, the ACT Brumbies prop will play his 177^th match against the Reds in Brisbane on Saturday.

For Moore, it was a record Slipper was destined to achieve.

"Ever since he came into the Reds squad, he was always going to be playing [Super Rugby] pretty quickly," Moore said. "He came into the team young and has been there ever since.

"He's been pretty lucky with injuries, he hasn't had too many bad ones but he's someone who came in early and has maintained a great standard ever since."

Slipper's achievement has been slightly overshadowed by rumours swirling rugby circles over financial uncertainty at the Brumbies.

Club officials have been quick to dismiss the speculation. While the financial environment is challenging, they are confident the club's future is not in doubt.

Moore has lamented the trajectory of Australian rugby since his retirement in 2017 however he is confident the arrival of Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt and high-performance chief Peter Horne will help put the sport back on the right track.

"It's been a dreadful 12 months for the Wallabies but having had a small bit to do with Joe, he's the type of person we need in that role," Moore said. "He's a calm, measured person who's very well planned.

"He's currently spending time listening and watching to eventually get a view on how he needs to take the team forward. Laurie [Fisher's] appointment is a positive step, he's a Test coach who adds a huge amount of value to the Wallabies.

"It's looking like we're going in the right direction at the moment. A lot of people want the Wallabies to be successful and if we get a few things right we'll be well placed to have a successful season."

The careers of Slipper and Moore have followed similar paths, both men starting in Queensland before making the move south to Canberra for a glittering second act.

Slipper left the Reds amid a cloud of controversy, however he has emerged as one of Australian rugby's most influential figures in the game in recent years.

"He'll be remembered as one of the great Brumbies as well as a very successful Reds player," Moore said.