Lewis Moody Team of My Life: Springboks ‘artist’ and the ‘biggest and strongest’ human in the world
There’s few better players to select a Team of their Lives than the most decorated player in the history of British and Irish Rugby- former Leicester Tigers, Bath and England flanker Lewis Moody.
We have partnered with eToro, the official investing and trading partner of Premiership Rugby, to bring you this series, Team of my Life, in which a famous face from the world of rugby recalls an ultimate XV.
Moody’s silverware includes a World Cup, seven Premiership titles, two Champions Cups and three Six Nations championships. He also skippered his country on 12 occasions and was a Test Lion in 2005, leaving all-action openside with a bulging cabinet trophy.
“It would have been so easy to have stuck to form and built my team around Leicester Tigers, but I made a conscious effort to include just a handful of those lads I spent so much time with,” Moody quipped.
“As with all these things, it’s purely a bit of subjective fun and I reckon I’ll kick myself for leaving the odd one out here or there, but this is the best XV I reckon I’d want to play for my life against Mars or Jupiter!”
Lewis Moody’s Dream XV
15 Geordan Murphy (Ireland and Leicester Tigers): My best mate, a genius of a player and a Welford Road favourite. At his best, he was the finest counterattacking full-back around and I’ve spent so much time in his company- from sharing a flat together to British and Irish Lions tours.
14 Rory Underwood (England and Leicester Tigers): Rory was an athletic freak even in the amateur days. I played his last two seasons at Tigers and his professionalism and focus were things I aspired to reach. He set the standards of that crossover era and there’s still no wing in the English game that’s match his record at Test level.
13 Brian O’Driscoll (Leinster and Ireland): Drico was my Lions skipper in 2005 and the influence he had, even after the shoulder injury, was one of calm inspiration. There’s few backs that back rows worry about in terms of ruck and breakdown work, but Brian was so good over the ball that we’d single him out as a threat every time we faced him at test level.
12 Ma’a Nonu (Hurricanes, Highlanders, Blues, Toulon and New Zealand): I played some eight years against Ma’a at Test level and he was always a threat. He evolved his game effortlessly too – from a banging crash merchant to a truly brilliant all-round centre. One thing that I will share- when he put the black anti-reflection eye cream on in a Test, one of our lads nicknamed him “Ma’aScara”- which amused me hugely.
11 Alesana Tuilagi (Leicester Tigers and Samoa): The biggest and strongest human in the world, I reckon! One of my poorer decisions at Test level was picking a fight with him in 2004 at Twickenham after he tackled Mark Cueto in the air. I reckon I landed one slap on his bone-like head, which he repaid with about 10 right on the end of my nose. It wasn’t even a split decision and he even won the sledging battle as we both were sent off!
10 Dan Carter (Crusaders, Racing92 and New Zealand): Carter was so good that at times you felt powerless as a seven trying to shut him down. He had so many weapons in his armoury that any question you posed of him would be answered fluently and brilliantly. That 2005 Lions series elevated him to greatness and I was the openside trying to defend against his genius. Humbling, I can tell you.
9 George Gregan (ACT Brumbies, Toulon and Australia): I played against George so many times and he was always a difficult and abrasive opponent- one of those scrum-halves that has huge variety in his game. He could play tight and direct, but had the pass and gas to ignite any backline. Plus, to his credit, he also delivered the greatest sledge in rugby – “Four more years, boys” was cruel- but an absolute belter.
The pack
8 Abdel Benazzi (Agen and France): Abdel just crossed with my early career years, but his sheer size and brutal physicality made a massive impression upon me. He was the definition of an emotion player and if he got on his emotional upslope, he was a juggernaut with ball in hand.
7 Richie McCaw (Canterbury, Crusaders and New Zealand): The benchmark of opensides and a man who I faced many times in the Test arena. Put simply, the toughest opponent I ever encountered. His superpower was his intuition on playing on the edge of offside and breakdown laws, but when you watched the tape back you realised his timing was simply unbelievable. An incredible rugby player.
6 Thierry Dusautoir (Toulouse and France): If Richie was the best flank I played against, then ‘Titi’ was the next in line. Nails in defence- a tackling machine- and much underrated with ball in hand. A complete backrower and someone I relished facing.
5 Victor Matfield (Bulls, Northampton, Toulon and South Africa): An artist of lineouts and a very skilled man with ball in hand who was almost like a fourth flanker for the Boks. The number of times he’d make the extra man around the 13 channel showed his rugby IQ, but as a lineout forward, he was peerless. The best I have ever seen.
4 Martin Johnson (Leicester Tigers and England): The man with the monobrow is the single biggest influence on my career other than my late Dad. Massive, hard as nails and intimidating. His leadership of the Lions and England set the blueprint for the professional era.
3 Julian White (Leicester Tigers and England): He did one job, but hell, he did it brilliantly. An absolute monster of a scrummager who minced any loosehead in his path. Hard as nails in the tight and elsewhere, and wonderfully old school in his approach to the game.
2 Steve Thompson (Northampton Saints and England): I am not sure we celebrate Thommo in the way we should. He was the best hooker in the world for a long period- a massive man even by modern standards- who combined great tight work with thundering carries around the park.
1 Os du Randt (Cheetahs and South Africa): Whilst clearly a top scrummager, Os’s superpowers were his work-rate around the ruck and his huge tackle count. He was tireless around the pitch and had an amazing engine for a man of some 140kg.
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