England captain Moody: Injured eye may never fully recover
ENGLAND captain Lewis Moody admits he may never see properly again, following the eye socket injury that has jeopardised his involvement in next week’s first autumn international against New Zealand.
Moody was temporarily blinded in one eye after suffering the gruesome damage playing for Bath against Gloucester earlier this month. He has not played since then but has been released by England boss Martin Johnson to play for his club against Harlequins on Sunday.
The flanker hopes to prove he has recovered sufficiently to face the All Blacks at Twickenham on Saturday week, even if he accepts his eye may never regain its full capabilities.
“They told me my vision would never be as perfect as it was,” Moody told City PM “It’s alright as I always wear contact lenses anyway. The eye has improved vastly. It has certainly affected my vision but it has improved drastically and will go on improving day by day. There is no guarantee that it will be absolutely OK by the time we play New Zealand.”
The All Blacks are on a 15-match winning streak, but Moody insists there is no fear in an England squad boosted by a summer victory in Australia. “Confidence in the camp is high but we are very conscious we cannot afford to be complacent against New Zealand,” he added. “We’ve got a mountain to climb. They are the No1 ranked side in the world and they are playing some outstanding rugby. They are a very formidable team but fear is not in our make-up.”
Tickets for the Investec International match between England and Samoa on Saturday 20 November at Twickenham are available from £25 for adults and £10 for under 16s via www.rfu.com/tickets or by calling 0844 8472492.