England rugby captain 'optimistic' over knee injury

England captain Lewis Moody suffered a mild knee ligament strain during his team's victory over Wales but is "optimistic" he will recover in time for the World Cup, it was revealed Tuesday. The Bath flanker limped midway through the second half of England's 23-19 win over Wales at Twickenham on Saturday, sparking fears his World Cup campaign may be in jeopardy. England scrum coach Graham Rowntree said it was too early to say with certainty whether Moody would recover in time for the World Cup, which kicks off in early September. "Is it realistic he will be on the plane (to the World Cup)? It is too early to say with that injury," Rowntree said. "It is a mild strain, not a bad strain, which gives us hope. "We will see how he develops over the next few days. He hurt his knee in January. On Saturday night he was optimistic he would get better. "We have to see how he will go with the medics. We will take it week by week. We don't have to do any more than that." Moody's latest injury came after he missed the Six Nations campaign after damaging the same knee in January while playing for Bath.