Exclusive – Moody: England hungry to put right 2011 Grand Slam failure

Former England rugby captain Lewis Moody has told talkSPORT that the team are desperate to win the Six Nations Grand Slam this year so they can finally put their 2011 failure behind them.

Two years ago Martin Johnson’s men were on the cusp of glory going into the last game of the annual tournament, but they lost 24-8 to Ireland in Dublin.

And Moody reckons the players who were part of that side are determined to beat Wales at the Millennium Stadium to make amends for their shortcoming.

But he has also insisted that the defeat at the Aviva Stadium will not make Stuart Lancaster’s side nervous.

He told the Weekend Sports Breakfast: “I don’t think the boys will worry about history. That won’t have any relevance.

“What will have an effect is the anxiety they’ve felt during the week because they’re a very young side.

“There are a number of guy that were a part of that squad two years ago that had the chance to win a Grand Slam, so they’ve been there and tasted that bitter defeat in the last game. They’ll be hungry to put that right and get a win under their belts.

“But winning a Grand Slam is an incredibly hard thing to do. It means you’ve got to get everything right in every game that you play. No mistakes.”