Wallabies' senior players should have pulled bad boys into line, admits Stephen Moore Turning over a new leaf: Wallabies five-eighth Quade Cooper. London: Test hooker Stephen Moore has conceded senior players could have better protected the Wallabies' culture under former coach Robbie Deans and rejected criticism of Australia's Generation Y athletes. As disgraced former Wallabies outside back James O'Connor arrived in London to take up a lifeline with English Premiership side London Irish, Moore said he regretted that the team's senior playing group had not taken a tougher stance against wayward younger teammates in recent years. "I feel bad about how it went, that's for sure, I'm not happy about the off-field incidents that happened," he said. Fresh start: James O'Connor has joined London Irish. Probably as senior players we could have done better, that's for sure. That's something I will probably look back and regret, that we didn't act on some of that stuff when we probably should have. Moore, an 86-Test veteran, said primary responsibility lay with the individuals concerned for a string of off-field incidents involving O'Connor, Quade Cooper and Kurtley Beale that have plagued Australian rugby during the past few years. But he also said the head coach - then Robbie Deans - was responsible for setting the tone in a team and it was up to senior players to "live it and drive it." "It's different in every team but the coach sets the tone [and] the senior players, it's up to them to live it and drive it and make sure the guys coming into the group are aware of what is expected and aware of the sacrifices, the dedication, and the discipline required," Moore said. I think there were probably times when Robbie put a lot of faith in young guys and maybe they let him down. Whenever we had an off-field incident it wasn't just the new guys, it was other guys as well. It's up to us as players to reward that faith, we are playing for our country and it's very important. Moore said the team culture under new coach Ewen McKenzie was in good shape, underpinned by a desire to put the team's needs ahead of the individual's. "Quade is a good example of that - he has been really impressive over the last six months in how he's carried himself around the team, and how professional he's been and how much time he has put into his preparation," he said. I think you see that out on the field. The guys are really tight, we've got a really great bunch of guys. We're really keen to now show that on the field by being consistent. There has been a lot said about the Gen-Y thing in the last few months, and I think maybe that's just a bit of an excuse. There's plenty of kids that age who are upstanding citizens and excelling in their chosen fields. I really don't think that's a valid argument for it. Cooper's path back to Test rugby, after calling the Wallabies' environment "toxic" and alienating the majority of his teammates, proved the same options are open to O'Connor, Moore said. But the 23-year-old needed to prove he understood the responsibility that came with being part of a Test team. "It's not something to be taken lightly," Moore said. I think he's aware of those things and the improvements he has to make, and Ewen has talked to him at length about it. It is a case of going ahead and doing it now, and the door is never closed. O'Connor announced on Tuesday that he would play with London Irish over the northern winter. The deal capped a turbulent year for the 44-Test talent, who was not wanted by four of Australia's five Super Rugby clubs despite playing a key role in the Wallabies' campaign against the British and Irish Lions in June. McKenzie selected O'Connor on the wing in his squad for the Rugby Championship but a drunken incident at Perth Airport after a Test win against Argentina prompted the ARU to tear up his contract and declare he would not be offered a Wallaby "top-up" next year. O'Connor was in advanced talks to join the Western Force under coach Michael Foley, but opted for a short stint overseas instead. It is a brave move, I'm not sure what options he had in Australia, I'm not privy to any of that, I just hope he can become a better person, because it doesn't really matter what you're like as a rugby player. If you improve as a person then the rest will follow," Moore said. I've seen a little bit of what he has said recently and I think he seems to be aware of that. I hope whoever takes him on over here, he rewards them with that personal improvement that he's chasing.