Rugby World Cup 2011: Lewis Moody to be fit for Argentina
Last updated on .From the section Rugby Union
Lewis Moody says he is "on the right path" to proving his fitness for England's Rugby World Cup opener against Argentina on 10 September.
Captain Moody, hoping to add to his 67 caps, has had his international season severely hampered by injury.
The 33-year-old flanker has only played 62 minutes of Test rugby in 2011.
But Moody said: "Everyone has been very confident and I am happy at how it has gone. The target is still next week and playing against Argentina."
He added: "The most important thing is that the medics and the physios are happy with me and they are not going to risk me if it is not right and I go in and knacker it again."
Moody is one of six England players who travelled to New Zealand with an injury.
Scrum-half Ben Youngs has some concerns over his knee after undergoing an operation, which kept him out of England's three warm-up fixtures.
Tom Wood and Nick Easter both missed the Aviva Stadium win as a precaution after developing calf problems.
But despite those niggles, manager Martin Johnson says he expects to have a fully-fit squad going into the World Cup opener, and has also been boosted by the arrival of Simon Shaw who has arrived in Auckland after his departure was delayed by a stomach bug.
"Injury-wise they are all progressing well. We expect them all to be fit to train fully at the latest on Monday when we are in Dunedin," said Johnson.
"Simon Shaw got here this morning and he looks very well. They are all OK.
"We're pretty confident everyone will be fit to train."
