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Lewis Moody: Grand Slam could harm England's long-term hopes

Last updated on .From the section Rugby Unioncomments200

Success could harm England - Moody

World Cup winner Lewis Moody hopes England do not claim the Grand Slam now as it could see them peak too soon.

The 23-13 result against France on Saturday means Stuart Lancaster's side are just two games away from a clean-sweep in this year's Six Nations.

With the next World Cup coming in 2015, Moody, 34, is concerned the achievement could hamper England's long-term hopes.

"Part of me wants them not to win it because you have to maintain that level of high performance," he told the BBC.

"Winning the Six Nations is very important this year, they will do that, but the Grand Slam... We will see, but the team is moving in the right direction."

England - with the now retired Moody often playing an impact role as a replacement flanker - last took the Grand Slam in 2003 with an emphatic 42-6 win against Ireland, following several painful near-misses in previous campaigns.

Importantly, that victory came just eight months before the lifting of the World Cup in Australia thanks to a dramatic extra time drop-goal from Jonny Wilkinson against the hosts.

If the current players are to repeat that Grand Slam-winning feat, they have a much longer wait to try and follow that with a World Cup triumph, which would come on home soil.

Italy are the next visitors to Twickenham in a fortnight's time, with England's campaign ending in mouth-watering fashion a week later in Cardiff's Millennium Stadium against the reigning champions.

"It was not a massively impressive performance against France, it was just a really good win," former England captain Moody said. "Sometimes you just have to win and beat the team put out in front of you and at the weekend that happened.

"England re-grouped in the second half and showed some really intelligent play, there was a lot of coolness under pressure. They have the three wins back-to-back and they will beat Italy.

"It is then a big ask to win in Wales."

On a freezing day in west London which saw England battle back from a half-time deficit fly-half Owen Farrell continued his impressive form with the boot by adding 12 points, though he also twice got involved in physical confrontations with France full-back Yoann Huget.

The 21-year-old has been told to rein in his spiky nature by World Cup-winning head coach Sir Clive Woodward,external-link but Moody chose to praise the aggression.

He said: "I like to see that my fly-half has a bit of passion about him. Owen is so consistent and he is a great performer, he has shown that with his kicking.

"But there are going to be times in a game when your emotions and passion to win is sometimes overtaken by your natural instincts. Owen is only a young man and that is bound to happen."

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  • Comment posted by Je ne sais quoi, at 16:19 25 Feb 2013

    They need to drop Ashton for a start, his childish antics and lack of commitment in the tackle are embarrassing. Lancaster should cut him loose and tell him to sort out his attitude before he can even think about wearing an England shirt again.

  • Comment posted by U15522366, at 16:11 25 Feb 2013

    I don't think SL will let England go down the path Wales have chosen after their GS last year, some of the Welsh boys don't look like they've made any progress since bursting onto the scene, if anything they have gone backwards.

    SL wants England to be more than just 15 players on the pitch and so far his doing a grand job.

  • Comment posted by U15629653, at 16:16 25 Feb 2013

    @1 - don't watch it then! If you can't enjoy a tough, smash them up game of rugby then you're possibly watching the wrong sport. Look at the Scots yesterday - massively outplayed, but stuck to it and sneaked the win

    The standard this weekend was nowhere near as good as the first two, but give me the Six Nations over any other tournament going. Compulsive viewing from the first minute to the last

  • Comment posted by Blues Fan, at 16:54 25 Feb 2013

    @imo I think Samoa and Tonga proved in the Autumn tests and Samoa and Fiji have historically proven, to Wales especially, that size of nation is not a limiting factor

  • Comment posted by aberblabber, at 22:46 25 Feb 2013

    @112/113 Absolutely right Englishchap, it's not arrogance at all, just indulging in a bit of a leg pull! That game on the 16th could go either way. this is a very interesting time for england vs. wales match ups. There's actually very little between the two teams for a change; in't past when one side has been on fire the other has been dire.Bring it on I say! & scots look decent= good lions tour!

  • Comment posted by Steve , at 22:20 25 Feb 2013

    Manu will be rested because of the injury to his ear and saved for the Wales game. 36 will come in and resume centre partnership with BB. Ashton should play and told to reign in his petulance and score 3 tries without celebrating. Wade will come off the bench after 60 mins and score 2 tries. Wood should start at 6, Morgan back at 8. Burns should start at 10 and given free reign, OF on bench only.

  • Comment posted by gjpowell, at 22:17 25 Feb 2013

    @112
    I think he is saying to English fans not to lose sight of the wider situation and positive direction of travel under SL, should England just fall short of a GS in Cardiff against the reigning GS champions (and who are now recovering rapidly from the injury disarray they were in at the beginning of the 6Ns). Should be a cracker on 16/3....

  • Comment posted by TheCat13, at 17:28 25 Feb 2013

    Can't understand all this hate for Goode? He has done well so far and is adapting at this level. Yes, he needs to work under the high ball but can break tackles if required and his reading of the game is immaculate! I agree with dropping Ashton, he isn't suited to the way this England team plays, but Strettle? Come on, you can only have so many chances to fail to impress at international level!

  • Comment posted by U14124863, at 17:21 25 Feb 2013

    This just shows the mentality issues in northern hemisphere rugby. Do New Zealand think about peaking? They are the best because they are at the highest level all of the time and that's what Stuart Lancaster is building towards. Once this crop are 40/50 cap players the next few youngsters will come in and it rotates continually. The 'cycle' is for the dinosaurs of the old regime.

  • Comment posted by U15446027, at 16:50 25 Feb 2013

    So long as Farrell keeps playing well and keeping the points ticking over the scuffle doesn't really matter. A fly-half showing he won't be bullied to me is a good thing. Not something I want to see every week but no harm done.

    Thought Tuilagi had a great game. England were always doubling up on Bastereaud - France should have done the same back!

  • Comment posted by U14344370, at 18:09 27 Feb 2013

    Ok, I am a Scot, but I lived in England for 24 years so have no axe to grind. English Rugby has an image problem. If you are too confident you are branded as arrogant if you are workmanlike the media hype you up anyway. You have a genuinely good setup with good young players. Quietly confident is good, don't disparage your opponents, be gracious in victory-stamp out the Farrell and Ashton syndrome

  • Comment posted by paul, at 07:31 26 Feb 2013

    Imagine the All Blacks saying "oh, we don't want to win the Tri Nations this year because we'll have peaked too soon."?
    The team needs to press on and win the Grand Slam, success breeds success and it will inspire newer and younger players to be hungry to make the team. The mistake would be to settle back with this crop and not replace them when form goes or better players come along.

  • Comment posted by AndSleep, at 23:55 25 Feb 2013

    128 I'm not confusing anything my friend. I dont believe LM was a great captain only that given he has actually been there and done it, that he is entitled to express an opinion. I & many others will always regard him with respect and affection as an honest player who was fearless in defence of the line. Surely true England fans should therefore afford him a modicum of respect? Just a thought ;)

  • Comment posted by Bairdini, at 19:24 25 Feb 2013

    It's a shame that Moody's England team didn't "Stay hungry" at the world cup. They were taking the Michael out of each other for training hard!

    Lancaster is far too sensible, respectful and professional to write any team off.

  • Comment posted by PSat Innings, at 19:21 25 Feb 2013

    Moody may equate the England attitude in 2013 with the deeply unprofessional one that prevailed in the last stages of his own international career. This lot would simply see a Grand Slam as evidence of satisfactory work in progress and start to think about the next challenges: Moody implies that he would have been happy with the Grand Slam as the object in itself

  • Comment posted by backchatter, at 16:56 25 Feb 2013

    re 9
    All the best scrum and fly halves are a bit “chippy” – it’s what makes them good. They need to have that aggressive edge to wind up the forwards when necessary and to direct the game. As long as it doesn’t go too far, it’s a definite plus. Ashton is another matter though...

  • Comment posted by U15415966, at 16:45 25 Feb 2013

    I agree, drop Ashton he has been hanging on to his spot by the skin of his teeth for ages. Time to give Strettle and Wade some game time and Brown at 15. Goode hasn't massively impressed, they were talking up his running stats but most of that is jaunting 20m before launching an up and under! Foden on the bench, with Burns please (fitness pending).

  • Comment posted by gjpowell, at 20:46 27 Feb 2013

    @192 Anglophone

    I suggest you read my post again, and then realise that you are agreeing with me! The MT incident happened in the blink of the eye, and a sin binning never comes into it. Accidental offside, if spotted, and try disallowed. But the officials should have spotted the MV incident 10 mins later i.e. knocking the ball out of MP's hands when off his feet and out of the game at ruck.

  • Comment posted by RedYeti, at 16:45 27 Feb 2013

    @191. searugger2

    Once your factor in the momentum of Farrell running at full speed it wasn't forward at all (relative to the motion of the players). The majority of good running passes in the game look forward if you judge them against the lines on the ground.

    All that matters is whether or not it leaves the hands travelling forwards, not where the ball lands.

  • Comment posted by gjpowell, at 23:29 26 Feb 2013

    @189

    Agreed. I would refer you to what Jerry Guscott had to say in his column about the two Craig Joubert issues on Saturday, which I think is fair comment. MV should have been pinged, possibly binned, but the accidental offside that led to the MT try happened so quickly. It is not as if the French were furious and instantly asked for the matter to be referred to the TMO.

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