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Moody relishing 'proudest moment'
18:45, Mar 19 2010
Lewis Moody will enjoy the proudest moment of his England career on Saturday when he captains his country against Grand Slam-chasing France in Paris.
The Leicester flanker was given the honour after Steve Borthwick, who had captained England for 20 consecutive Test matches, was ruled out with a knee injury.
"You don't get asked to captain your country very often. Without doubt it will be the proudest moment in my England career," said Moody. "To be asked under whatever circumstance to captain your country is a huge honour. What a day, it will be amazing."
Moody has not always been obvious captaincy material. During the early years of his career his biggest failing was playing too much with his heart and not enough with his head.
Now 31, Moody is a smarter player. After 14 years at the top he believes he has gained enough knowledge and experience to be able to make the important calls when the pressure is on on Friday night.
But Moody remains a tearaway and he vowed that instinctive style would not change just because he is captain. The Mad Dog's bite will remain fiercer than his bark.
"I think for me the most important part of being a captain is to play the game the way I do," he said.
"It will not change me. I will just play the way I do. I will not talk more than I have done. If I need to say something I will do but there will be no Churchillian speeches.
"I have been part of this squad for a long time and you have a role as part of the leadership team to voice your opinion when needed. I voice my opinion anyway.
"If you play the game long enough you hope you can make the right decisions in those key situations. If you play long enough to get a feel for things and I have experienced players around me like Nick Easter and Mike Tindall."
Charnley inspires Wigan triumph 20:45, Feb 11 2012
Winger Josh Charnley scored a hat-trick of tries as Wigan bounced back from their shock opening home defeat by Huddersfield with a clinical 20-6 destruction of Stobart Super League champions Leeds. more
Spurs fans show Redknapp the love 20:45, Feb 11 2012
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France/Ireland clash called off 20:45, Feb 11 2012
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Adebayor inspires Spurs romp 19:45, Feb 11 2012
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England claim narrow Italy victory 18:45, Feb 11 2012
England dug themselves out of a snow-hole in freezing Rome to beat Italy 19-15 with another charge-down try from Charlie Hodgson and Owen Farrell's perfect kicking display. more
Chelsea suffer defeat at Everton 17:45, Feb 11 2012
Steven Pienaar and Denis Stracqualursi struck as Everton piled on the pressure for Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas with a 2-0 victory. more
Late Henry winner rescues Arsenal 17:45, Feb 11 2012
Substitute Thierry Henry marked the final league game of his loan spell at Arsenal with a last-gasp winner to see off Sunderland 2-1. more
McArthur clinches Wigan victory 17:45, Feb 11 2012
James McArthur boosted Wigan's survival hopes with a dramatic goal which handed the Latics a 2-1 win over fellow Barclays Premier League strugglers Bolton at the Reebok Stadium. more
Williams inspires Quins win 17:45, Feb 11 2012
Harlequins returned to winning ways as winger Tom Williams helped orchestrate a 30-23 victory over London Irish which extended their lead at the top of the Aviva Premiership. more
Fleming and Hutchins put GB ahead 16:45, Feb 11 2012
Great Britain moved to within one rubber of a fifth consecutive Davis Cup win under captain Leon Smith after Colin Fleming and Ross Hutchins beat Michal Mertinak and Filip Polasek of Slovakia at Glasgow's Braehead Arena. more
Cold snap affects sporting weekend 15:45, Feb 11 2012
The cold snap continued to wreak further havoc with the sporting calendar on Saturday after the npower Championship clash between Peterborough and West Ham was postponed due to a frozen pitch along with a number of League One and League Two matches. more
Rangers ease to win at Dunfermline 15:45, Feb 11 2012
Lee McCulloch grabbed his first goal of the season as Rangers fought back from behind to claim a 4-1 win and deny Dunfermline their first home victory of the season in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League. more
