Former England captain Lewis Moody has been backed to tackle motor neurone disease with “every ounce of his strength” by former team-mate and fellow Rugby World Cup winner Will Greenwood.
Moody, 47, learned he had the degenerative, muscle-wasting condition two weeks ago and has told BBC Breakfast that he is struggling to confront the implications of his diagnosis.
Rugby league legend Rob Burrow and Scotland and British and Irish Lions great Doddie Weir have both died from the disease within the past three years.
“He is the most wonderful human that we love to his very core,” Greenwood, who played alongside Moody for both England and Leicester, told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“It is just tragic news, because he is one of the great guys. And I know there is no order to this stuff – how you leave this planet – but you root for the good guys.
“There is not a nasty bone in his body, he is the most optimistic human you can hope to find… and then he had an ability on the pitch to just turn a switch and be the most ferocious competitor.”
Rugby Football Union chief executive Bill Sweeney said Moody, who won 71 England caps and three caps for the British and Irish Lions, “represents the very best of rugby’s values” both on and off the pitch.
“Lewis represented England, the British and Irish Lions and his clubs Leicester Tigers and Bath Rugby with both brilliance and distinction – one of the toughest and most fearless players ever to don a back row shirt in the game, earning the respect and admiration of team-mates, opponents, and supporters alike all over the world,” said Sweeney.
“We are ready to offer practical and emotional support to the Moody family in whatever way is needed and appropriate; and we encourage people to show their support through the fundraising initiatives now being set up.”