Captain Moody Ready To Take On Australia.

Just one year ago Lewis Moody’s international career appeared to be in a crisis. The former World Cup winner, who also appeared in the 2007 losing World Cup final, was dropped by his former international and club teammate Martin Johnson after playing in a losing game for England against the Barbarians.

Months earlier, having succumbed to a broken ankle weeks after recovering from hip and Achilles tendon problems, the Leicester flanker was contemplating retirement from the sport. 

Even at the start of the 2009-10 season he was only named in the EPS Saxons squad by England manager Johnson, a selection that hinted that Moody’s time at the highest level was nearing an end.

He had, obviously, enjoyed an illustrious career but, rightly or wrongly, would not quite be remembered in the same light as a Johnson or a Lawrence Dallaglio. 

Now, however, the man who turns 32 on Saturday, will spend his birthday leading out his men in Perth as England take on Australia in the first of two tests down under and Moody, far from finished, finds himself in pole position to captain England all the way to next year’s World Cup where, if successful, he would be able to take his seat at the highest table of English rugby.

“I’ve long given up trying to work out how it all happens in rugby,” Moody admits, as he considers how his fortunes have changed so much. “I’ve had desperate lows and incredible highs. I’ve won world cup finals and lost world cup finals, been dropped, had a pretty terrible spate of injuries, considered quitting the sport and yet also won everything there is to win in rugby, and just had a fantastic send-off with Leicester last week when we won the Guinness Premiership final at Twickenham. 

“So, the rollercoaster years have taught me to be pragmatic, to take everything as it comes, to get up from the blows, and to stay level-headed about the highs. Still, even I didn’t see this coming.”

By which he means leading England on tour to Australia and, in doing so, placing himself as favourite to be England’s captain when they travel to New Zealand next year to try and make it three successive World Cup finals – at least!

Moody is not quite allowing himself to look that far ahead, although he admits the thought is there. “Of course the World Cup’s in the back of your mind but in terms of rugby there’s so much to be played before then and, as I know full well, anything and everything can happen.

“I never had being England captain in my game plan. In fact, I never really had a game plan at all, except to play to the best of my ability as often as I possibly could. For me it’s always been about performance, not captaincy.”

Yet, after the previous incumbent, Steve Borthwick, withdrew from the last game in the Six Nations in Paris against eventual Grand Slam winners France, Moody was given the chance to take over the reins and, despite losing 12-10 to Les Bleues, Moody’s performance as leader impressed Johnson enough to tell Borthwick to rest this summer while his former Tiger, who will play for Bath next season, continues in his new-found role of responsibility.

If France proved to be a test, though, so, too, will Australia, a team that England have beaten only twice down under in the history of international rugby, and both times were in 2003, the year they won the World Cup with Moody catching the line-out ball that led to Jonny Wilkinson’s winning drop goal.

He is under no illusions about the task ahead but is bullish, not only about England’s chances, but also the benefits of a tour that takes in two tests, plus three testing midweek games beginning on Tuesday against the Australian Barbarians in Perth.

“We made some ground up when we nearly beat the French in Paris and now we need to step up even more because Australia, on their own soil against their arch rivals, will be mad for it.

“It’s a big ask to beat Australia once, let alone twice, but that’s exactly what we aim to do and I don’t see why we can’t achieve this. Actually the plan is to win all five games, all of which will have test match intensity, and really make a statement and lay down a marker to the rest of the world.

“I’m aware that this will be the last visit down under before the World Cup starts next year and we want to make the most of it. We want all 44 players on the tour to be fighting hard for a place in the World Cup squad next year. The countdown for the World Cup has begun now and that’s why we want to leave our mark on this tour. Australia are packed with dangerous runners but we’ve come down here to win.”

For a man who seemed to befit his “Mad Dog” tag Moody is sounding more and more like a captain. And with Borthwick out of the reckoning, at least for the time being, Moody is suddenly the number one choice to lead England in the autumn internationals and into 2011, World Cup year.

It is a notion Moody would clearly relish although, understandably, he is not looking too far ahead, not when he is about to take on the Wallabies.

“I’m the England captain for the next two tests against Australia and if the management think I do a good enough job and appoint me as captain for the autumn internationals then fantastic,” he concedes. “If not I’ll give my full support to whoever is. Steve Borthwick did grab hold of me after the cup final at Twickenham last week and wished me luck for the tour, though.”

Moody is going to need it.