"Because, aside from being an unfailingly nice bloke, Moody's almost childlike relish for the game was just as infectious. He threw himself into places from which most normal people would flee in the opposite direction. Whether he was out there representing England's 2003 World Cup winners, the British & Irish Lions, Leicester, Bath or Bracknell minis, he was the personification of an English lionheart who unfailingly put his body on the line for the cause."
"Despite being utterly fearless on the pitch he was not brilliant with heights. That day, he wrote in his autobiography, was the most terrifying experience of my life. Or at least it was. A fortnight ago, he and his family were plunged into something infinitely scarier. Moody's diagnosis with the incurable disease MND at the age of 47 is, first and foremost, desperate news for all those who know and love him."
"His former captain for club and country, Martin Johnson, summed it up nicely when Moody retired in 2012 having won 71 caps for England. When I look back at playing with Lewis it always brings a smile to my face it was never dull. He was one of the most committed guys I ever played with and had a complete disregard for his own physical wellbeing."
Lewis Moody, former England rugby captain and 71-cap international, earned the nickname 'Mad Dog' for fearless, committed play and a willingness to put his body on the line. He represented England's 2003 World Cup winners, the British & Irish Lions, Leicester, Bath and Bracknell minis. Moody once described a canyon-swinging experience near Queenstown as the most terrifying of his life, but his diagnosis with incurable motor neurone disease (MND) at 47 is profoundly worse. Teammates recall his infectious, almost childlike relish for the game and complete disregard for his own physical wellbeing. He was previously diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in 2005 and continued to play while keeping the condition private.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]