Farewell Mr Moody
As player after player has rushed forwards to insist they’re going nowhere, one England player has bucked the trend. Lewis Moody has decided that 71 caps, 2 World Cup finals, untold injuries and the rest of it is enough for him. His decision has left me with a number of mixed emotions. I am simultaneously relieved and regretful that we won’t get to see him bound around the field crashing into things like a brain damaged golden lab on speed. He has been an excellent servant to England and, at times, a very enjoyable player to watch. That he isn’t really either any more has less to do with his age and more to do with the amount of time he spends injured. That someone like Moody, who possesses all the self-preservation instincts of a bullet, gets injured is inevitable. The problem is he’s not like Richard Hill, so classy that even with only one leg he’s worth playing. A half-fit Moody just isn’t worth putting on the field.
We will now be spared watching him try to defy the facts of his body at a level its no longer fit enough to cope with most of the time. Both as an England fan, and as a Lewis Moody fan, I am relieved. He’s gone too late not to tarnish his reputation slightly but it remains mainly intact. Hopefully he still has something left in the tank for Bath. From an England point of view, the time for rebuilding has come – and I think Moody recognises that.
The thing is, it seems he’s alone in that. Thompson has already said he’ll continue. So too will St J of W. No doubt many of the other old men of England will soon sound off on the issue, if they haven’t already. I can’t blame them for wanting to continue to play for their country, nor am I opposed to picking older players on principle. But, like Moody, many of these men have gained flaws (or always had them in some cases) that leaves the further desirability of their involvement low. The Saint is a work of art for Toulon, but hasn’t looked much more than stilted for England for some time. Thompson’s ability to get around the park has to be in question. Tindall’s loss of pace and agility has left even his defence questionable. All of these are players I have at least some affection for, in some cases a great deal. All of them have strained it to certain degrees in the last twelves months or so.
If these players feel they have unfinished business, something left to offer, then I don’t think you can ever criticise a player for looking to give more. What I am dubious about is how far it will get them. They will look at Simon Shaw and think ‘Why not me’ but Shaw’s longevity feels slightly freakish. It also feels slightly forced; many countries would have left him at home, but England’s locking resources just aren’t that strong. Their chances of playing are now radically diminishing. Their chances of playing successfully – and I’d love to be wrong here – seem to be going even faster. This wasn’t the highest of notes to go out on, but a third World Cup is a reasonable place to call it a day no matter how it went. There are far more humiliating ways to go. I hope for everyone’s sake, not least mine, it doesn’t happen that way – but I’m not exactly brimming with confidence on the score.
Whatever happens though, Lewis Moody won’t be on the pitch sharing in it. I hope he’s as successful in the rest of his life as he was for England – and considerably more injury free to boot. He’s certainly earned it.
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Following the announcement by Lewis Moody that he is retiring from international rugby, England Team Manager Martin Johnson said: “Lewis has been a great servant to English rugby and has literally put his body on the line more times than he can probably remember.
The Leicester Tigers centre will start at outside centre as England continue their Rugby World Cup build-up in the first leg of a home and away double header against the Welsh.
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