It is as he recalls a gesture from Martin Johnson that the emotions hit Lewis Moody. With a warm smile and his trademark courage, the former England captain has confronted probing questions on his diagnosis with motor neurone disease (MND) as he unveils a new charitable challenge to support others like him and is happy to detail his symptoms and the uncertain road ahead. But the memory of Johnson’s recent supportive words during the Race to the Slater Cup, an endeavour to support another MND-afflicted former rugby player, stops Moody in his tracks.
“Johnno was fantastic when we did the Ed Slater ride about being really aware and seeing the level of fatigue that hit me as we were going along, and being able to say, ‘mate, it’s OK, take a rest’…” Moody begins before the words trail off. “Just him saying, ‘don’t worry, we’ve got it from here’.” It is put to Moody that it is probably the only time in his life that Johnson, that titan and captain of the 2003 World Cup-winning side, has ever told him to ease off. “It was,” he admits, recalling an old training ground punch from his former skipper on one of the rare occasions where Moody was not at full tilt with a chuckle.
