Why Lewis Moody loves the greatest youth rugby tournament in the world

There should be nothing about rugby that impressed Lewis Moody. The English international and Lion has been in all the rugby world's fields, in all the world's changing rooms in many of the great moments of the game and, like the warrior he was and is, he is not a man to be impressed.

This was what we thought while we waited for him at the entrance of the Portugal Rugby Youth Festival, at the University Stadium in Lisbon, the best urban tourist destination in the world.

In fact, when Moody arrived, as Dove Men + Care's ambassador, a brand with a strong partnership with various rugby entities, his attitude was one of overwhelming sympathy, but total relaxation.

We invited the old ferocious back row for a tour of the 100 thousand square meters of the tournament with its eight fields where more than 100 teams competed at the U13, U15, U17 and U19, boys and girls.

Moody observed everything with great attention and always responded with kindness each one of the countless times he was recognized and approached. But we noticed that he was thoughtful. At one point, while watching a boys' game, Moody let his first comment slip: "This is fantastic. I am very impressed with the size of the tournament and the number of teams coming from all over the world".

We continue to guide the English flanker through the tournament venue. We went with him to the main avenue, flooded with a permanent crowd, to the food court, where he was greeted jovially, and to the VIP space. Finally, we led Moody to the main field to give a word of support to the U19 warriors involved in the semi-finals. Suddenly we lost sight of Moody. We found him amongst the players and coaches as if he were part of the teams. Later, Lewis Moody confessed to us why he had let himself get involved: "This tournament is extremely important to bring the spirit and message of rugby to increasingly more people. I'm really thrilled to be here! "It was with an open smile that the immortal number 7 delivered the Spirit of Rugby Award, created in partnership by Dove Men + Care and World Rugby.

We are sure that Lewis Moody will return for the 2020 edition of the Portugal Rugby Youth Festival!