Lewis Moody’s magnificent seven of the past year

Adam Kyriacou

As the year draws to a close, Planet Rugby features writer James While spoke with former England captain Lewis Moody to discuss his favourite moments of the Rugby World Cup and 2019 in general.

Best single performance – England

For all South Africa’s brilliance and deserved win in the final, there’s no question that the single standout performance of the year came from England against New Zealand in the World Cup semi-final.

It was the stuff of dreams; New Zealand taken apart with running, attacking rugby from the first whistle of the game. Every single player played their part, whether it be Elliot Daly making the initial break to force the first try, to Kyle Sinckler’s barnstorming runs and delicate handling.

It’s unfair to say England peaked a week before the final as South Africa were the best team in the competition but as games go, this was the best performance of the year.

Community service award – Canada

Much has been written about the amazing efforts shown by Japan in hosting Rugby World Cup 2019. The colour, the vigour and the excitement will remain with me for a long time.

However, in the last weekend of the pool stages, Mother Nature dealt the tournament a severe blow, sending a typhoon to wreck the final round of fixtures, including the game between Canada and Namibia. Nothing good was going to come out of this weekend until the Canadians joined forces with the local Japanese rugby officials and leant their powerful frames with the rescue effort in Kamaishi after the immense damage caused by the typhoon.

Canadian fly-half Peter Nelson summed up the spirit of the tournament when he said: “We were gutted our game was cancelled but at a time like this, there are a lot more important things than rugby.”

Even World Rugby were in awe of their efforts and praised the Canadian players after posting a video to social media showing them assisting with the clean-up.

Classy stuff from the ever-engaging Canadians.

Best supporting cast – The Rugby World Cup minnows

Yes, you Uruguay, Fiji, Russia, Georgia, Japan, Canada, USA and Samoa. Each one of you had your moments, every team had something to take out, but most of all, the sheer reduction in the cricket scores we’d seen in other competitions proved the gap between the Tier One and Tier Two nations has closed.

The brilliance of players such as Kotaro Matsushima, Semi Radradra and even Russia’s immense tighthead Kirill Gotovtsev was there for all to see. Calling these guys minnows is a little unfair and one hopes that World Rugby will give these sides the platform they need to move forward and grow the game and I really do hope that happens.

Best comeback award – Saracens

Many people have criticised some of the financial goings on at Saracens but in all the turmoil it’s easy to overlook the amazing comeback in the Premiership Final.

Let’s recall the scene; Henry Slade put the Chiefs nine points ahead on 57 minutes at 27-16. With the Chiefs’ influential Nic White and Jack Nowell hobbling off, the trophy looked in the bag for Exeter. However, a blistering teamtalk from Owen Farrell and Maro Itoje prompted them to score 21 points without reply in 16 minutes and somehow Saracens fought their way back.

It was a performance based upon the mental steel and the sheer determination of the two England stars, one that permeated through the team and characterised Saracens’ on-field culture.

Sadly, salary cap revelations have somewhat soured the event and I am not commenting on that, but this is judged on on-field outcomes, results forged and created by team spirit and great rugby. As they go, this one was right up there and the standard of rugby displayed by both teams needs applauding.

Best lead role – Siya Kolisi

No question here – the award has to go to Kolisi, the man that united South Africa once again. His humility and dignity whether winning or losing is amazing to see. The guy has the world at his feet in terms of his personal future and nothing is out of the question for this incredible man from Port Elizabeth.

What sums up the guy for me is when he was asked, after the final, if “he dreamt of winning the World Cup?”

“No,” replied Kolisi. “I dreamt of my next meal.”

I cannot wait to see what the next few years bring for this inspirational man. He deserves all the success he gets.

Best supporting role – Joe Marler

No question in my mind here; let’s hear it for Marler and his contribution to the game in every aspect all year. From press conferences to hilarious appearances on rugby blogs, Marler fused his new found enthusiasm for the limelight with an immense return to form as one of the world’s foremost looseheads, even to the point of stopping the scrummage rot to a lesser or greater extent in the final once he made his belated entrance.

However, what sealed this award for me was his utterly brilliant and deadpan rendition of Adele’s ‘Someone Like You’ on the Jonathan Ross Show in November. Marler spoke enthusiastically on the programme of his ‘vast amounts of unreleased original material’. If his performance from behind the sofa is anything to go by, I can’t wait to hear the debut album. But in the short term, I hope he sticks around to support the England scrum for a good few years yet.

 

Lifetime achievement award – Alun Wyn Jones

Having played against Alun Wyn for some five seasons and shared the same commercial agent, I know the man well and am in awe of his achievements and conduct.

As I wrote during the Rugby World Cup, the man is utterly relentless. He never stops, first or last minute. He’s the man offering to carry, looking to make the hit, the catch, the tackle. The standards he’s set for this Welsh team is at the core of their DNA and it’s fitting that, if all pans out, he will challenge Richie McCaw as the most capped player in the history of the game.

The guy is a champion and a warrior and he’s been at the forefront of British rugby for some 12 years now, indeed almost a lifetime.

by James While