Mad Dog: An Englishman: My Life in Rugby

Lewis Moody has seen and done it all in a glittering career that has seen him win the 2003 World Cup under Martin Johnson's captaincy, lose in the final of the 2007 World Cup after the most shambolic passage, and now lead England under Johnson's management in the 2011 World Cup. Moody has not only been an ever-present in the England team for the past decade—a team that has featured some of the most iconic and interesting figures in British sport such as Jonny Wilkinson, Lawrence Dallaglio, and Jason Robinson—but also, until his shock move to Bath last summer, he was a key part of the all-conquering Leicester Tigers team that became champions of England six times and of Europe twice. Moody does not just explore the incredible highs, of which there are many, but also the equally incredible lows. There was the bullying at school, the time as a child when he was so near to death that the doctors advised his parents to prepare for the worst, and, later, the many occasions when he wanted to walk away from a sport that has produced so much success, when the injuries were mounting up and becoming so serious that Moody felt he had had enough. The end result is at times a painfully funny and, at other times, painfully sad story of sporting triumph achieved only after leaping major obstacles along the way.

Lewis Moody was born in Ascot in 1978. Educated at Oakham School and De Montford University, at age 18 Moody was the then youngest league debutant for Leicester Tigers. He made his debut for England in 2001, and was named captain in 2010.