Lewis Moody
Encyclopedia
Lewis Walton Moody MBE (born 12 June 1978 in Ascot
) is an English
rugby union
rugby player who currently plays for Bath Rugby
and was part of the 2003 World Cup winning side. He is renowned for his commitment to the physical aspects of the game.
in Rutland
, where he initially played rugby union at centre before moving to full back. He later studied Business Administration at De Montfort University.
Moody is known for the enthusiasm with which he plays the game, his willingness to chase down opponents and his ability to compete for possession at restarts. However, he has been criticised for a tendency to give away reckless penalties at the breakdown, which has been attributed by his supporters to his being played out of position at openside rather than blindside flanker. However, historically, the blindside flanker should be of a larger physique than the openside, and invariably the other flanker on the field is larger than Moody.
youth team, he played flanker
. He became the youngest Leicester Tigers
' player to play a league game at 18 years and 94 days, a record now surpassed by Ben Youngs
. He soon became established as Neil Back
's understudy for the openside flanker
shirt. Making the Tigers starting XV was difficult however, as internationals Neil Back
and Martin Corry took two of the three starting positions, with Paul Gustard
and Will Johnson
(younger brother of Martin) fighting for the remaining place.
He played in both of Tigers’ European Cup wins in 2001 and 2002 and was a member of the Tigers side in the four seasons between 1998–2002. The arrival of New Zealand international openside
Josh Kronfeld
at Leicester in 2001, threatened to relegate Moody to third choice openside
. However, Kronfeld failed to settle at the club and despite offers from Harlequins and Bath, Moody decided to stay. After the World Cup success in 2003, he suffered a stress fracture
of his foot which took a long time to heal and kept him out of the remaining 2003–4 season. Moody made a return in October 2004, in the Heineken European Cup match against Calvisano.
He was injured for much of the 2008–2009 season, which was his Testimonial season for the club, but returned to play in the 73–3 win over Bristol, and featured in both the Heineken Cup final and the Guinness Premiership win. Moody stayed fit for the entire 2009–2010 season, and even captained the side in the home fixture against Sale. The Tigers won the 2009–10 Guinness Premiership
, beating Saracens 33–27 at Twickenham.
In the 2010–2011 season, he joined Bath Rugby
on a three year deal along with Sam Vesty
.
Moody picked up a knee ligament injury in Bath's 55-16 win over Aironi in January 2011 but had been confident of making the England team for their opening Six Nations clash with Wales on 4 February.
Moody made his England
debut against Canada
on 2 June 2001, when the established internationals Neil Back
and Richard Hill
were touring Australia with the British and Irish Lions
. He won a further two caps on the North American tour and scored a try against the US Eagles in San Francisco. He was then called up to the senior squad for the match against Ireland in Dublin in October 2001 and came on to win cap number four.
Continued impressive form saw him challenge his teammate, Neil Back
, for the coveted England No.7 shirt, starting in two Six Nations games the following season. Moody displaced Lawrence Dallaglio
from the first choice England XV for the 2002/3 autumn internationals scoring a try in the game against New Zealand, but was injured against South Africa and Dallaglio regained his place. He returned to fitness and again featured in Clive Woodward's plans, but a further injury in the first Six Nations match against France threatened to curtail the rest of his season.
He was not considered for the summer tour due to that injury, but recovered well enough to play in the pre-world cup friendlies against France and Wales in the summer, scoring a try in the game at the Millennium Stadium
.
He played a part in all seven World Cup matches and came on as a replacement in the final to replace Hill. He won the final line-out
in the phase of play which led to Jonny Wilkinson
’s winning drop goal. He missed the remaining 2003–4 season due to a foot injury. With the retirement of Dallaglio and Back, and Hill out injured, he started all three of England's autumn internationals. Moody remained an England mainstay into 2005. That year he became the first English player to be sent off at Twickenham, when he was dismissed for fighting during the autumn international with Leicester team-mate Alex Tuilagi.
Having missed the 2007 Six Nations Championship
through injury, Moody was selected as part of the England squad for the 2007 World Cup
in France. Having been named to start a warm up match against France Moody suffered a further injury and consequently was left out of the starting line up for England's first three games of the campaign. Following a disappointing start to the tournament Moody was called into the starting line up for the final pool match against Tonga, where he was lauded for England's much improved competition at the breakdown.
Moody kept his place in the starting line up for the quarter final against Australia where he 'outshone his illustrious opposite number' George Smith. Moody again started the semi final against France, and lined up against South Africa in the World Cup final on 20 October, which England narrowly lost to the southern hemisphere side.
He was picked for the 2008 Six Nations Championship
and started in the first game against Wales but was substituted in the first half because of an Achilles tendon
injury. He returned to play against the Barbarians in June 2009, but was subsequently dropped from the squad, and appeared in the England Saxons EPS for the 2009–10 Season. Club form and injuries to other opensides such as Tom Rees
saw him regain his England starting position for the Autumn Internationals against Australia, Argentina, and New Zealand. He continued this form into the 2010 Six Nations Championship
.
Moody captained England
in their final 2010 Six Nations Championship
match against France
in Paris, replacing regular captain Steve Borthwick
, who had to pull out due to injury. He was also named England Captain for the 2010 summer tour to Australia. Moody's rallying cry for international matches was "Together we all stand, Together we're England"
Due to the knee injury he picked up in January 2011, Lewis missed the whole of the 2011 Six Nations tournament however Martin Johnson confirmed Lewis would be England captain for the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, provided he was fit. He was selected in the 30-man squad that flew to New Zealand.
On 23 October 2011, Lewis Moody announced his retirement from international rugby.
er) in June 2006. The couple live in Leicestershire and have a property development company. He enjoys extreme sports—although he suffers from vertigo
—and his current hobbies include wakeboarding
, travelling and Golf.
Their first child, a boy named Dylan was born in March 2008.
Moody is also a Patron of The Social Entrepreneurs Project an initiative of AIDS Orphan charity HOPEHIV. The project, which was the brainchild of Nik Pears, introduces entrepreneurial skills and social awareness to the UK classroom. Given 'seed capital', pupils come up with creative business ideas, then develop commercial skills as they make it happen. All profits are donated to HOPEHIV, so pupils learn what it means to make a real difference. Moody also has a strong affiliation with the Rainbow Trust children’s Charity and Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital.
Ascot, Berkshire
Ascot is a village within the civil parish of Sunninghill and Ascot, in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Berkshire, England. It is most notable as the location of Ascot Racecourse, home of the prestigious Royal Ascot meeting...
) is an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
rugby player who currently plays for Bath Rugby
Bath Rugby
Bath Rugby is an English professional rugby union club that is based in the city of Bath. They play in the Aviva Premiership league...
and was part of the 2003 World Cup winning side. He is renowned for his commitment to the physical aspects of the game.
Background
When he was five he took up mini rugby at Bracknell, when a school friend suggested he join him. He played at Bracknell until 12 years old. He was educated at Eagle House Prep School, then Oakham SchoolOakham School
Oakham School is a British co-educational independent school in the historic market town of Oakham in Rutland, accepting around 1,000 pupils, aged from 10 to 18, both male and female, as boarders and day pupils . The Good Schools Guide called the school "a privileged but unpretentious and...
in Rutland
Rutland
Rutland is a landlocked county in central England, bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire and southeast by Peterborough and Northamptonshire....
, where he initially played rugby union at centre before moving to full back. He later studied Business Administration at De Montfort University.
Moody is known for the enthusiasm with which he plays the game, his willingness to chase down opponents and his ability to compete for possession at restarts. However, he has been criticised for a tendency to give away reckless penalties at the breakdown, which has been attributed by his supporters to his being played out of position at openside rather than blindside flanker. However, historically, the blindside flanker should be of a larger physique than the openside, and invariably the other flanker on the field is larger than Moody.
Club career
In the Leicester TigersLeicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers is an English rugby union club that plays in the Aviva Premiership.Leicester are the most successful English club since the introduction of league rugby in 1987, a record 9 times English champions - 3 more than either Bath or Wasps, the last of which was in 2010...
youth team, he played flanker
Flanker (rugby union)
A flanker is a position in the sport of rugby union. Flankers play in the forwards, and are generally classified as either blindside, or openside flankers; numbers six and seven respectively. The name comes from their position in a scrum in which they flank each set of forwards...
. He became the youngest Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers is an English rugby union club that plays in the Aviva Premiership.Leicester are the most successful English club since the introduction of league rugby in 1987, a record 9 times English champions - 3 more than either Bath or Wasps, the last of which was in 2010...
' player to play a league game at 18 years and 94 days, a record now surpassed by Ben Youngs
Ben Youngs
Benjamin Ryder Youngs is an English rugby union player who plays as a scrum-half for Leicester Tigers and England.-Background:...
. He soon became established as Neil Back
Neil Back
Neil Antony Back is a former international rugby union footballer for England, who also played for Leicester Tigers, and captained both England and Leicester during his career....
's understudy for the openside flanker
Flanker (rugby union)
A flanker is a position in the sport of rugby union. Flankers play in the forwards, and are generally classified as either blindside, or openside flankers; numbers six and seven respectively. The name comes from their position in a scrum in which they flank each set of forwards...
shirt. Making the Tigers starting XV was difficult however, as internationals Neil Back
Neil Back
Neil Antony Back is a former international rugby union footballer for England, who also played for Leicester Tigers, and captained both England and Leicester during his career....
and Martin Corry took two of the three starting positions, with Paul Gustard
Paul Gustard
Paul Gustard is a former rugby union footballer who played for Leicester Tigers, London Irish and Saracens at flanker. He was educated at the Royal Grammar School in Newcastle and is the son of former Gosforth favourite Steve Gustard, who was the clubs leading try scorer for several seasons in the...
and Will Johnson
Will Johnson (rugby player)
William Warwick Johnson is a rugby union footballer who plays at Number 8 for RC Nice in France.He is perhaps best known for being Martin Johnson's younger brother, but yet played over 200 times for Leicester and gained a number of caps for England 'A'...
(younger brother of Martin) fighting for the remaining place.
He played in both of Tigers’ European Cup wins in 2001 and 2002 and was a member of the Tigers side in the four seasons between 1998–2002. The arrival of New Zealand international openside
Flanker (rugby union)
A flanker is a position in the sport of rugby union. Flankers play in the forwards, and are generally classified as either blindside, or openside flankers; numbers six and seven respectively. The name comes from their position in a scrum in which they flank each set of forwards...
Josh Kronfeld
Josh Kronfeld
Joshua Adrian Kronfeld is a former rugby union footballer who represented New Zealand at international level and Otago, the Highlanders and Leicester at first-class level...
at Leicester in 2001, threatened to relegate Moody to third choice openside
Flanker (rugby union)
A flanker is a position in the sport of rugby union. Flankers play in the forwards, and are generally classified as either blindside, or openside flankers; numbers six and seven respectively. The name comes from their position in a scrum in which they flank each set of forwards...
. However, Kronfeld failed to settle at the club and despite offers from Harlequins and Bath, Moody decided to stay. After the World Cup success in 2003, he suffered a stress fracture
Stress fracture
A stress fracture is one type of incomplete fracture in bones. It is caused by "unusual or repeated stress" and also heavy continuous weight on the ankle or leg...
of his foot which took a long time to heal and kept him out of the remaining 2003–4 season. Moody made a return in October 2004, in the Heineken European Cup match against Calvisano.
He was injured for much of the 2008–2009 season, which was his Testimonial season for the club, but returned to play in the 73–3 win over Bristol, and featured in both the Heineken Cup final and the Guinness Premiership win. Moody stayed fit for the entire 2009–2010 season, and even captained the side in the home fixture against Sale. The Tigers won the 2009–10 Guinness Premiership
2009–10 Guinness Premiership
The 2009–10 Guinness Premiership was the 23rd season of the top flight of the English domestic rugby union competitions, played between September 2009 and May 2010...
, beating Saracens 33–27 at Twickenham.
In the 2010–2011 season, he joined Bath Rugby
Bath Rugby
Bath Rugby is an English professional rugby union club that is based in the city of Bath. They play in the Aviva Premiership league...
on a three year deal along with Sam Vesty
Sam Vesty
Samuel Brook Vesty is an English rugby union footballer who plays utility back for Bath Rugby.Vesty is the fourth generation of his family to play for the Tigers...
.
Moody picked up a knee ligament injury in Bath's 55-16 win over Aironi in January 2011 but had been confident of making the England team for their opening Six Nations clash with Wales on 4 February.
International career
He scored two tries for England Colts against Wales in April 1997, and was a member of the side that won the Madrid Sevens at the end of that season.Moody made his England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
debut against Canada
Canada national rugby union team
The Canada national rugby union team represents Canada in international rugby union. They are governed by Rugby Canada, and play in red and black. Canada is classified by the International Rugby Board as a tier two rugby nation. There are ten tier one nations, and seven tier two nations, the...
on 2 June 2001, when the established internationals Neil Back
Neil Back
Neil Antony Back is a former international rugby union footballer for England, who also played for Leicester Tigers, and captained both England and Leicester during his career....
and Richard Hill
Richard Hill (flanker)
Richard Hill MBE is a former rugby union footballer who played flanker for Saracens and England.Often portrayed as the 'silent assassin' at both club and international level, his effective and abrasive style of forward play has made him legendary in rugby union circles...
were touring Australia with the British and Irish Lions
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
. He won a further two caps on the North American tour and scored a try against the US Eagles in San Francisco. He was then called up to the senior squad for the match against Ireland in Dublin in October 2001 and came on to win cap number four.
Continued impressive form saw him challenge his teammate, Neil Back
Neil Back
Neil Antony Back is a former international rugby union footballer for England, who also played for Leicester Tigers, and captained both England and Leicester during his career....
, for the coveted England No.7 shirt, starting in two Six Nations games the following season. Moody displaced Lawrence Dallaglio
Lawrence Dallaglio
Lorenzo Bruno Nero "Lawrence" Dallaglio, OBE is a retired English rugby union player and former captain of the English national team. He played as a flanker or number eight for London Wasps and never played for another club, having arrived at Sudbury as a teenager...
from the first choice England XV for the 2002/3 autumn internationals scoring a try in the game against New Zealand, but was injured against South Africa and Dallaglio regained his place. He returned to fitness and again featured in Clive Woodward's plans, but a further injury in the first Six Nations match against France threatened to curtail the rest of his season.
He was not considered for the summer tour due to that injury, but recovered well enough to play in the pre-world cup friendlies against France and Wales in the summer, scoring a try in the game at the Millennium Stadium
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
.
He played a part in all seven World Cup matches and came on as a replacement in the final to replace Hill. He won the final line-out
Line-out
A line-out is the means by which, in rugby union, the ball is put back into play after it has gone into touch. It is the equivalent of the throw-in in soccer. Rugby league abolished line-outs in 1897...
in the phase of play which led to Jonny Wilkinson
Jonny Wilkinson
Jonathan Peter "Jonny" Wilkinson OBE is an English rugby union player and member of the England national team. Wilkinson rose to acclaim from 2001 to 2003, before and during the 2003 Rugby World Cup and was acknowledged as one of the world’s best rugby players...
’s winning drop goal. He missed the remaining 2003–4 season due to a foot injury. With the retirement of Dallaglio and Back, and Hill out injured, he started all three of England's autumn internationals. Moody remained an England mainstay into 2005. That year he became the first English player to be sent off at Twickenham, when he was dismissed for fighting during the autumn international with Leicester team-mate Alex Tuilagi.
Having missed the 2007 Six Nations Championship
2007 Six Nations Championship
The 2007 RBS 6 Nations Championship was the eighth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the 113th series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship...
through injury, Moody was selected as part of the England squad for the 2007 World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
in France. Having been named to start a warm up match against France Moody suffered a further injury and consequently was left out of the starting line up for England's first three games of the campaign. Following a disappointing start to the tournament Moody was called into the starting line up for the final pool match against Tonga, where he was lauded for England's much improved competition at the breakdown.
Moody kept his place in the starting line up for the quarter final against Australia where he 'outshone his illustrious opposite number' George Smith. Moody again started the semi final against France, and lined up against South Africa in the World Cup final on 20 October, which England narrowly lost to the southern hemisphere side.
He was picked for the 2008 Six Nations Championship
2008 Six Nations Championship
The 2008 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2008 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the ninth series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the 114th...
and started in the first game against Wales but was substituted in the first half because of an Achilles tendon
Achilles tendon
The Achilles tendon , also known as the calcaneal tendon or the tendo calcaneus, is a tendon of the posterior leg. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius and soleus muscles to the calcaneus bone.- Anatomy :The Achilles is the tendonous extension of 3 muscles in the lower leg:...
injury. He returned to play against the Barbarians in June 2009, but was subsequently dropped from the squad, and appeared in the England Saxons EPS for the 2009–10 Season. Club form and injuries to other opensides such as Tom Rees
Tom Rees (rugby player)
Thomas Rees is a rugby union footballer who plays flanker for London Wasps and has represented England at senior, Under-21, Under-19, Under-18 and Under-16 levels as well as sevens.-Career:...
saw him regain his England starting position for the Autumn Internationals against Australia, Argentina, and New Zealand. He continued this form into the 2010 Six Nations Championship
2010 Six Nations Championship
The 2010 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2010 RBS 6 Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 11th series of the Six Nations Championship, an annual rugby union competition between the six major Northern Hemisphere rugby union national teams...
.
Moody captained England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
in their final 2010 Six Nations Championship
2010 Six Nations Championship
The 2010 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2010 RBS 6 Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 11th series of the Six Nations Championship, an annual rugby union competition between the six major Northern Hemisphere rugby union national teams...
match against France
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
in Paris, replacing regular captain Steve Borthwick
Steve Borthwick
Stephen William "Steve" Borthwick is an English rugby union footballer who plays lock for Saracens F.C....
, who had to pull out due to injury. He was also named England Captain for the 2010 summer tour to Australia. Moody's rallying cry for international matches was "Together we all stand, Together we're England"
Due to the knee injury he picked up in January 2011, Lewis missed the whole of the 2011 Six Nations tournament however Martin Johnson confirmed Lewis would be England captain for the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, provided he was fit. He was selected in the 30-man squad that flew to New Zealand.
On 23 October 2011, Lewis Moody announced his retirement from international rugby.
Personal life
Moody married Annie (an interior designInterior design
Interior design describes a group of various yet related projects that involve turning an interior space into an effective setting for the range of human activities are to take place there. An interior designer is someone who conducts such projects...
er) in June 2006. The couple live in Leicestershire and have a property development company. He enjoys extreme sports—although he suffers from vertigo
Vertigo (medical)
Vertigo is a type of dizziness, where there is a feeling of motion when one is stationary. The symptoms are due to a dysfunction of the vestibular system in the inner ear...
—and his current hobbies include wakeboarding
Wakeboarding
Wakeboarding is a surface water sport which involves riding a wakeboard over the surface of a body of water. It was developed from a combination of water skiing, snow boarding and surfing techniques....
, travelling and Golf.
Their first child, a boy named Dylan was born in March 2008.
Moody is also a Patron of The Social Entrepreneurs Project an initiative of AIDS Orphan charity HOPEHIV. The project, which was the brainchild of Nik Pears, introduces entrepreneurial skills and social awareness to the UK classroom. Given 'seed capital', pupils come up with creative business ideas, then develop commercial skills as they make it happen. All profits are donated to HOPEHIV, so pupils learn what it means to make a real difference. Moody also has a strong affiliation with the Rainbow Trust children’s Charity and Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital.