Lewis Moody desperate to prove he can play against New Zealand
Rugby Union star Lewis Moody is desperate to play for England, injured or not, when they take on New Zealand on 6 November at Twickenham.
Moody says it’s imperative he play for the team, following the news that fellow teammate Jonny Wilkinson is unlikely to play in the match due to shoulder pains.
Moody, a Bath flanker, is determined to get the green light to play against Harlequins in an English Premiership match on Sunday.
Moody suffered a bruised retina when he ran into Gloucester full-back Charlie Sharples on the 1 October, and has been recovering since. The bruising left a scar on the back of Moody’s left eye ball, distorting
his vision.
He said, “It means part of your vision is distorted but, thankfully, it's my bad eye. I've seen all the specialists and they've said it could get better over time but that the brain learns to ignore it.
It might take my brain slightly longer than most."
According to Bath, the English club asked that Moody be used carefully against Harlequins, but Bath responded that they may nevertheless keep him in the game as opposed to ejecting him prematurely.
A further complication is that the match will be on Sunday, meaning Moody will be given only six days to be in sturdy health for the All Blacks game.
Referring to Moody, England manager Martin Johnson said, “He needs to play [in the match against Harlequins]. Part of his getting ready to face the All Blacks is having a match this
weekend. Toby Flood has also missed matches, but we're not releasing him because we think he's done enough. Lewis is different."
"I really, genuinely hope they won't take the charge-down responsibilities away from me," Moody confessed. It's a part of the game I enjoy.”
“Of course, it was a bit nerve-wracking at the time and my vision is still a little distorted—something that could prove permanent.”
“But as a professional sportsman, you're hard-wired to think you'll recover from any injury. Your brain tells you to ignore it. I really want to play this weekend. I don't want to go
in against the All Blacks having not had a game."
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