Lewis Walton Moody
MBE (born 12 June 1978 in
Ascot) is an English retired
rugby union
Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
player. He played for
Leicester Tigers and
Bath Rugby
Bath Rugby is a professional rugby union club in Bath, Somerset, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. Founded in 1865 as Bath Football Club, since 1894 the club has played at the Recreation Ground, Bath, Rec ...
and was part of the 2003 World Cup winning side.
Moody is known for the enthusiasm with which he played the game, his willingness to chase down opponents and his ability to compete for possession at restarts, which earned him the nickname "Mad Dog" from teammates and supporters.
Background
When Moody was five, he took up
mini rugby at Bracknell, when a school friend suggested he join him. He played at Bracknell until the age of 12. He was educated at
Eagle House Prep School, then
Oakham School in
Rutland
Rutland is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Leicestershire to the north and west, Lincolnshire to the north-east, and Northamptonshire to the south-west. Oakham is the largest town and county town.
Rutland has a ...
, where he initially played rugby union at centre before moving to full back. He later studied Business Administration at
De Montfort University
De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) is a public university in the city of Leicester, England. It was established in accordance with the Further and Higher Education Act 1992, Further and Higher Education Act in 1992 as a degree awarding body ...
while playing for Leicester Tigers.
Club career
Moody's meeting Ed Houston signalled the beginning of his rugby career. In the
Leicester Tigers 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
Benjamin Ryder Youngs (born 5 September 1989) is a former English professional rugby union player who played as a Scrum-half (rugby union), scrum-half for Premiership Rugby club Leicester Tigers, and is the List of England national rugby union ...
. 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 Martin may refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land
* Port Martin, Adelie Land
* Point Martin, South Orkney Islands
Europe
* Martin, Croatia, a village
* Martin, Slovakia, a city
* Martín del Río, Aragón, Spain
* M ...
) fighting for the remaining place.
Moody was an unused replacement for the
2001 Heineken Cup Final but started the victorious
2002 Heineken Cup Final, and was a member of the Tigers side in the four Premiership winning seasons in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002. The arrival of
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
international
openside Josh Kronfeld
Joshua Adrian Kronfeld (born 20 June 1971) is a TV presenter and a former rugby union footballer who represented All Blacks, New Zealand at international level and Otago Rugby Football Union, Otago, Otago Highlanders, the Highlanders and Leicest ...
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 2003–04 season. Moody made a return in October 2004, in the Heineken European Cup match against Calvisano.
Moody won his fifth Premiership medal in 2007, starting the final and scoring a try as Leicester defeated
Gloucester
Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...
.
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
The European Rugby Champions Cup (known as the Investec Champions Cup for sponsorship reasons) is an annual rugby union tournament organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the top-tier competition for clubs who compete in a pre ...
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
Bath Rugby is a professional rugby union club in Bath, Somerset, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. Founded in 1865 as Bath Football Club, since 1894 the club has played at the Recreation Ground, Bath, Rec ...
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 announced his retirement from rugby on 6 March 2012 with immediate effect due to injuries.
International career

Moody 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. He was later called up to the senior team for the 1998–99 "tour from hell" but did not make an appearance.
Moody made his
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
debut against
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
on 2 June 2001, when the established internationals
Neil Back and
Richard Hill were touring Australia with the
British and Irish Lions
The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England national rugby union team, England, Ireland national rugby union team, Ireland, Scotland national rugby union team, Scotland, and ...
. 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
The Millennium Stadium (), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium () for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it has a retractable roof and is the home of the Wales national rugby union team; it has ...
.
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 teammate
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
The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcane ...
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
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
in their final
2010 Six Nations Championship match against
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
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.
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
The 2011 Rugby World Cup, was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The World Rugby, International Rugby Board (IRB) selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japa ...
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.
International tries
England
British & Irish Lions
The Lewis Moody Foundation
The Lewis Moody Foundation, inspired by young rugby fan Joss Rowley Stark, raises funds to promote awareness of brain tumours in children through the award-winning HeadSmart campaign, funds vital research into brain tumour diagnosis and gives families living with critical illness days out of the ordinary to lift spirits and create special memories.
Personal life
Moody married Annie (an
interior design
Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. With a keen eye for detail and a Creativity, creative flair, an ...
er) in June 2006. The couple live in Bradford-on-Avon in Wiltshire and have a property development company. They have two children.
He enjoys extreme sports—although he suffers from
vertigo
Vertigo is a condition in which a person has the sensation that they are moving, or that objects around them are moving, when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. It may be associated with nausea, vomiting, perspira ...
—and his current hobbies include
wakeboarding
Wakeboarding is a water sport in which the rider, standing on a wakeboard (a board with foot bindings), is towed behind a motorboat across its wake and especially up off the crest in order to perform aerial maneuvers. A hallmark of wakeboarding ...
, travelling and golf.
Moody is a patron and supporter of a number of charities including The Social Entrepreneurs Project, HOPEHIV, Rainbow Trust children's charity and Our Lady's Children's Hospital. In August 2012 Moody highlighted his battle with
ulcerative colitis
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is one of the two types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), with the other type being Crohn's disease. It is a long-term condition that results in inflammation and ulcers of the colon and rectum. The primary sympto ...
and the impact this had on his training.
In May 2014, Lewis and his wife Annie set up The Lewis Moody Foundation, inspired by Joss Rowley-Stark, to fund groundbreaking research to improve the diagnosis and treatment of brain tumours and give families a day out of the ordinary to lift spirits and create special memories.
In August 2014, Moody was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' opposing
Scottish independence in the run-up to September's
referendum on that issue.
Honours
;England
*
Six Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship (known as the Six Nations, branded as Guinness M6N) is an annual international rugby union competition by the teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. It is the oldest sports tournament conte ...
:
2000
2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year.
Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
,
2001
The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...
,
2003
2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater.
In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War.
Demographic ...
*
Grand Slam:
2003
2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater.
In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War.
Demographic ...
*
Triple Crown:
2002,
2003
2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater.
In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War.
Demographic ...
*
World Cup:
2003
2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater.
In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War.
Demographic ...
;Leicester Tigers
*
Premiership Rugby:
1999
1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons.
Events January
* January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers.
* January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
,
2000
2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year.
Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
,
2001
The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...
,
2002,
2007
2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year.
Events
January
* January 1
**Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
,
2009
2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
,
2010
The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
*
European Cup:
2001
The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...
,
2002
*
Anglo-Welsh Cup
The Anglo-Welsh Cup (), was a cross-border rugby union knock-out cup competition that featured the 12 Premiership Rugby clubs and the four Welsh regions. It was a created as a replacement for the RFU Knockout Cup, which featured only English clubs ...
:
2007
2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year.
Events
January
* January 1
**Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
See also
*
List of people diagnosed with ulcerative colitis
References
External links
*
*
Tigers profileLewis Moody photo 1 by sportingheroes.netLewis Moody photo 2 by sportingheroes.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moody, Lewis
1978 births
Living people
Alumni of De Montfort University
British & Irish Lions rugby union players from England
England international rugby union players
English rugby union players
Leicester Tigers players
Members of the Order of the British Empire
People educated at Eagle House School
People educated at Oakham School
Rugby union flankers
Rugby union players from Ascot, Berkshire
2003 Rugby World Cup players
2007 Rugby World Cup players
2011 Rugby World Cup players
People with ulcerative colitis
Bath Rugby players