England defensive coach Phil Larder saluted the contribution of Lewis Moody during the Six Nations campaign.
Larder not only labelled the Leicester player the next Neil Back – but also a British & Irish Lion in waiting.
"I’d like to pay big tribute to Lewis Moody. People speak very highly of Neil Back and now we have a real true successor to Backy," said Larder.
"Not only has he defended superbly, he has led the team and done a really good job in camp. He has blossomed into a true international player and I hope to be working with him on the Lions tour."
Despite only finishing fourth, England were the meanest defensive side in the tournament and had only conceded three tries in four matches before Saturday’s 43-22 defeat of Scotland.
Larder also reserved special praise for the development Charlie Hodgson has made in defence since the summer tour to New Zealand and Australia.
"Charlie, in the summer series, had a lot of problems with one-on-one tackling. It is a great credit to him that he has done a really superb job this series defensively," said Larder.
"He has improved incredibly. That is to put down all the hard work he has done. He has improved in a heck of a lot of areas."
