Moody blue at missing All Blacks tour

England and Leicester Tigers flanker Lewis Moody said today he was “devastated” to be missing the rest of the season through injury.

A ruptured right Achilles tendon forced the openside off during England’s 6 Nations opener against Wales at Twickenham on February 2 and he has not played since.

Today Moody spoke to the Press Association from Umea in Sweden where a tendon specialist has revealed the full extent of the damage.

He said: “The specialist told me I’m going to be out for 16 weeks, which means I won’t play for the rest of the season. I’m absolutely devastated.

“I’ve had my Achilles scraped, which is basically where all the loose scar tissue is cleared out. I’ve got a 50% rupture of the tendon.

“I’m really, really disappointed, not so much because I’ll miss England’s tour to New Zealand this summer but because the Tigers are in the EDF final, and I can’t imagine them not also being in the League final too. Every game you miss is a game you can never get back.”

He added: “The only good thing about this is that I get to spend more time with my wife Annie and my baby son Dylan, who was born earlier this month.”

A shoulder injury, which also required surgery, sidelined Moody from last year’s RBS 6 Nations too.

He went on to play a key role in England’s 2007 Rugby World Cup campaign, which saw them lose to South Africa in the final.