The spotlight has again fallen on any risk associated with rugby and neurodegenerative illness with the announcement that former England captain and 2003 World Cup winner Lewis Moody has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND).

MND causes muscle weakness which progressively gets worse over months or years. Messages from motor neurones in the spine and brain gradually stop reaching muscles, which causes them to weaken, stiffen and waste.

There is currently no cure for MND, but treatments can help manage symptoms for as long as possible, although people with MND have a reduced life expectancy, typically of between two and five years. New Feature

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The condition usually develops after the age of 50, but several high-profile former

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