Reserves keep England flag flying

'I don't want to leave Leicester but then I don't want to be stuck behind two of the world's best flankers,' said Moody. 'If Dean can give me a fair shout next season, I'll be happy. If not, there are a lot of options. Leicester are going to consider me more as a blindside but that would impede my prospects with England. I cannot say whether I am going to stay. There has been a fair bit of interest and a loan transfer may be the way forward.'

At 22, Moody is under contract but there will be no stopping him now after a collective performance which moved Canada's warrior captain, the venerable Al Charron, to predict that the new English generation deputising for the Lions elite would soon become world beaters in their own right.

His verdict would doubtless be upheld by a real-life Judge, Lord Justice Kay. His son Ben, known as M'Lud in the Leicester dressing room since joining from Waterloo, stepped into the biggest boots of

all, Martin Johnson's, with c o mmanding authority, ably assisted by fellow Tigers fore and aft in a reshuffled pack.

Once they had shuffled the Canadians off their own scrum-ball, skip-per Kyran Bracken stealing the opening try during a haphazard first half for a 5-3 interval lead, England doubled their total four minutes later from Kay's catch-and-drive, Dorian West emerging from the bottom of the heap to open his account at the age of 33.

The former Loughborough policeman also provided another first of this never-ending season, the rare sight of an English hooker - or a British one, come to think of it - finding his jumpers with pinpoint accuracy and leaving manager Clive Woodward acclaiming his raw team as 'full of ambition and bottle'.

Newcastle wing Michael Stephenson showed both in large doses, making the first break of his international career in the first minute, only to be hit with the sickening force of a demented moose for attempting another in the second minute. While Stephenson stag-gered on before requiring half an hour's treatment, his assailant, Bedford fly half Scott Stewart, escaped scot-free.

England's achievement ought not to be under-estimated; not with five new caps and at least five more in the novice category - among them Josh Lewsey, the full back whose

long-range strikes gave their win a stylish finish. He ran the third try in from 50 yards and pushed the accelerator harder still for the fourth, a glittering solo dash - from all of 70 yards. Sean Fauth managed a late touchdown for the Canadians.

It had been a long time coming but here, at last, was proof of life after the southern hemisphere Tour to Hell in 1998. Lewsey's fear that he would never get another chance, and an increasing boredom with the onedimensional life of a rugby professional, prompted him to join the army last year. 'I didn't want to reach 30 and find all I had done with my life was play club rugby,' he said. 'That's a dream world for some people but I wanted to keep myself busy.'

Dave Walder, tentative at fly half, missed four of five goal kicks but will keep his place in Vancouver.