Rugby world rallies round former England captain Lewis Moody...

The rugby world has rallied around the former England captain Lewis Moody, who has revealed he has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease. The 47-year-old 2003 World Cup winner admitted he was having trouble accepting what his diagnosis means for the future but that he intends to stay positive.

Among the most decorated forwards to play for England, he earned 71 caps and led his country at the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand, earning the nickname “Mad Dog” as an all-action, hard-hitting flanker.

Since revealing his diagnosis, tributes have poured in from a host of teammates, the Rugby Football Union and the British & Irish Lions. His former Leicester teammates Geordan Murphy and Leon Lloyd have set up a GoFundMe page for Moody’s family and associated causes. By lunchtime on Monday, more than £30,000 had been donated.

Moody is the latest high-profile rugby player to be diagnosed with the terminal disease. The former Scotland and Lions forward Doddie Weir, the England rugby league player Rob Burrow and the South Africa scrum-half Joost van der Westhuizen have all died as a result of MND in the last decade.

“This has been incredibly hard to process and a huge shock to me and my family,” Moody said in a statement. “I feel fit and well in myself and I’m focused on staying positive, living life and dealing with the changes I will experience as they come.”

In an interview with the BBC, with his wife Annie alongside him, Moody explained that his symptoms are currently “very minor”, revealing some muscle wasting in the hand and shoulder but saying: “I’m still capable of doing anything and everything. And hopefully that will continue for as long as is possible.”

An emotional Moody added: “There’s something about looking the future in the face and not wanting to really process that at the minute. It’s not that I don’t understand where it’s going. We understand that. But there is absolutely a reluctance to look the future in the face for now.

“I don’t want to get stuck in the negativity or doom and gloom. We know the reality, I want to stay positive, I want to stay in the moment, I want to learn and understand what it is, speak to more people and see where we can help.”

MND can prove fatal within 12 to 18 months of diagnosis, with people in Britain believed to have a one in 300 risk of developing the neurological condition. About one in five cases are believed to be related to genetics and it was announced last year that relatives of people with the condition were to be offered genetic testing that would tell them if they were also likely to develop it.

While a number of studies have suggested that professional rugby players are more likely to develop MND, at present there is no link proving causation. Rugby – and in particular Kevin Sinfield, the friend and former Leeds Rhinos teammate of Burrow – has been instrumental in terms of fundraising to promote research into finding a cure.

Sinfield, currently a coach with the England rugby union team, said: “I’m obviously very saddened by the news. I’d like to wish Lewis, and all his family and friends, the very best. I’ll support in any way I can. We have to keep fighting MND together.” Ed Slater, the former Gloucester and fellow Leicester player who has been diagnosed with the disease, posted on X that he was “absolutely devastated” for Moody and his family. “We will be here for you as and when you need.”

Moody spent 14 years at Leicester and was a huge part of the club’s golden era, helping the Tigers to seven Premiership titles and two European cups. With England, he was part of the 2003 squad who won the World Cup in Australia, and won the lineout that led to Jonny Wilkinson’s drop goal to seal England’s success in the final. In 2004 he was awarded an MBE for services to rugby.

“We are all deeply saddened and distressed to learn that Lewis Moody has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease,” said the Rugby Football Union chief executive, Bill Sweeney. “Lewis represented England, the British & Irish Lions and his clubs Leicester Tigers and Bath 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 teammates, opponents and supporters alike all over the world. His contribution to rugby, both on and off the field, reflects the very best of our sport’s values.”

Since his retirement Moody has led an active lifestyle and participated in a number of ultra-endurance challenges. In 2014 he set up the Lewis Moody Foundation to support those affected by brain tumours and said he intends to keep raising money for his charity as well as those associated with MND. Revealing he received his diagnosis two weeks ago, Moody said that had undergone physiotherapy after noticing weakness in his shoulder while in the gym. A series of scans then showed nerves in his brain and spinal cord had been damaged. Moody said that telling his sons, 17-year-old Dylan – a goalkeeper for Southampton – and Ethan, 15, was “heartbreaking”.

Moody burst on to the scene at Leicester and in 1996 he became the club’s youngest ever player in a league match. He went on to make 223 appearances for the club before joining Bath for two years in 2010. The Leicester chief executive, Andrea Pinchen, said: “The figures, trophies and awards tell you what an incredible player Lewis was, but that is only half the story. As an individual, his commitment to his club along with his warmth and passion shone through, which endeared him to teammates, staff and supporters alike.”

Moody suffered a number of head injuries throughout his career and in retirement he has been a staunch advocate of concussion research and improved regulations around player welfare. He did not join the class action lawsuit, which includes former teammates such as the World Cup winning hooker Steve Thompson, who has been diagnosed with early onset dementia, however. Thompson and more than a hundred others are suing the RFU, the Welsh Rugby Union and World Rugby but Moody has said that he has no regrets over his playing career.