Moore rules himself out as captain

The Reds were joined by their Wallaby players this week as preparation under new coach Nick Stiles gets underway.

The squad are keen to make up for a poor campaign in 2016, Stiles bringing Quade Cooper back from France and signing Moore from the Brumbies.

James Slipper captained the Reds last season and Moore confirmed to Fox Sports that he does not want to be considered for the role.

"No," Moore bluntly said when asked if he was interested in the Reds captaincy.

"A big part of my role here is to help James and the other leaders as well. It takes a team. The team with the most leaders often does the best.

"If we can establish a strong culture around leadership and not rely too much on one or two people it will be a step in the right direction. James did a great job in a tough environment last year. He’s only going to learn and improve from that."

Regardless of who carries the official title, Stiles still has plenty of experience in his squad.

George Smith, a veteran of 111 Test caps, will join the club when his commitments with Japanese club Suntory finish later this month.

Scott Higginbotham is due back in Australia soon after Stiles dismissed concerns he had injured himself in Japan.