England captain Lewis Moody ruled out – Six Nations update
The English captain, Lewis Moody has to wait for at least two more weeks to play in Six Nations for England due to a swollen knee. His chances for coming in for England against the colossal French side on Saturday have ended. Lewis Moody was already late
in joining Six Nations, but now is targeting to make a comeback in the final two matches.
The news that came from the camp yesterday was a blow. Moody endured a reaction after working out and is now battling again to recuperate full strength in time for Calcutta Cup clash against Scotland on 13th March.
There was no affirmation of all this from anyone from England’s management, but then again, was no rejection also. It’s an old strategy to keep opponents in ignorance and dark. Martin Johnson has made it a fashion to announce his squad with a delay and keeping
the injuries undisclosed. On the other hand the French team had announced its squad on a tight schedule.
What amazed the analysts and critics was the fact that, why Lewis Moody was called back when he was already suffering through a ligament injury. He did even appear in the last 23 minutes against Scotland with his knee heavily strapped.
In such case, Mike Tindall will be leading the England through the French collision. Mike Tindall has the same England’s side except one change that thrashed Italy by 59-13. Andrew Sheridan, the Sale Shark’s forward, will be returning after recovering from
a bad back. Meanwhile, Alex Corbisiero has been benched for the next two clashes in the current tournament.
The ruling out of Lewis Moody and his disappointment is significant. The 32 year old fly half was portrayed as ‘distressed’ and ‘desperate’ by Martin Johnson to reclaim his position in the team. Moody just got restored in Bath, a week prior to the French
clash and meanwhile suffered through the medial knee ligament injury.
England is considered as a team which remains at ease, even after such huge blows. Mark Cueto, who has been with the national side since 2004 said, “Without a shadow of distrust, we’re as complete as I can commit to memory and that has been reflected in
our performances on the field.”
Talking about the minimal changes in the squad Cueto added, “Every sporting team is searching for steadiness, be it in coaches or in the playing staff. If you’re changing all the team, you end up back at square one every time you take the field. We’re getting
a lot of game time together, training time too under the Elite Player Squad agreement.”
Cueto deems that the key factor for England’s upper hand on France is hi pairing with Chris Ashton at wing. Although, Cueto hasn’t scored in last 19 fixtures he played, until he broke the ice against Italy and touched down with the assist of Ashton. Cueto
believes Foden and Ashton will make a difference against the French side. He said, “It’s the enthusiasm they bring to the game; their energy is unbelievable. The energy that Ben and Chris bring to the team excites not only me, it excites everyone.”
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