I want to start this column by sending my love and best wishes to Lewis Moody and his family.
The whole rugby world is thinking of him, his wife Annie and their boys after he confirmed the awful news he has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease.
Lewis is one of the best, most committed people you could ever wish to meet. He is known for his bravery, energy and competitiveness, summed up by his nickname ‘mad dog’. He was at the heart of so many big moments and big games for England.
I’ll never forget that it was Lewis who won the lineout that led to Jonny Wilkson’s drop-goal against Australia in Sydney[1] – the one that won England the 2003 World Cup.
I loved coaching Lewis with England. He was one of those players that caught your eye immediately. You just could not wait to get him in camp and see what he could do at the highest level. I am sure anyone who played alongside him will agree that he was the ultimate team-mate.
He was a brilliant player, excelling for Leicester and Bath as well as England, and a British and Irish Lion in 2005. The fact he started all three Tests of that year’s series against New Zealand reflected his amazing ability on the pitch.
Lewis Moody is one of the best, most committed people you could ever wish to meet
I loved coaching Lewis with England. He was one of those players that caught your eye immediately
I’ll never forget that it was Lewis who won the lineout that led to Jonny Wilkson’s drop-goal against Australia in Sydney – the one that won England the 2003 World Cup
His interview on the BBC on Monday morning summed him up as both a player and person. On the field, he never shirked from a challenge, taking on anything he could with a fearless, competitive approach. It is clear to me after watching him speak that he will fight MND in the same way.
The rugby world has rallied around Lewis and those closest to him. Sometimes, you are reminded how special sport is when the worst things happen. Lewis’ diagnosis certainly falls into that category. The fact tens of thousands of pounds has been raised online for the Moody family within hours of the news being released summed that up.
However, it seems clear to me that rugby needs to do more to help former players who are suffering with neurodegenerative brain injuries.
As things stand, there is no confirmed link between playing rugby and MND. But as rugby continues to battle with the fact ex-players from both codes have been diagnosed with the condition, as well as other neurodegenerative diseases like early onset dementia, Parkinson‘s and probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), I think we now must act to get greater clarity on this issue.
My fear is that without meaningful action now, we will hear of more players who will receive the same news Lewis has in the future.
Rugby has made positive steps to make the game safer. The introduction of things such as instrumented mouthguards is one such example.
But for me, the news Lewis has revealed must act as a defining moment for the game. There has to be far greater action taken now.
For the good of rugby as a whole, everyone who has a passion for it needs to know if taking head knocks on the field can lead to brain illnesses.
His interview on the BBC on Monday morning summed him up as both a player and person
On the field, he never shirked from a challenge, taking on anything he could with a fearless, competitive approach. It is clear to me that he will fight MND in the same way
We still don’t know the answer. If it is proved that the answer is yes, then that will be a mighty challenging position for the sport and its future.
But at least then there will be clarity and we can proceed from there by implementing more ways to make the game even safer.
Rugby needs a united voice on this issue, one man or woman who is an expert in their medical field and who should be charged solely with identifying whether or not suffering head injuries on the field can lead to brain diseases.
No words or best wishes can help us get to that scenario. Over to you World Rugby, and all the game’s governing bodies.