Rugby union has lost Lewis Moody as a player but the game will be glad to learn that it may not have lost the man they call "Mad Dog" altogether. As he sets out on a life which for the first time since he was five years old will not involve putting his head where many devils would fear to tread, the former England captain revealed he is set to try his hand at coaching.

A shoulder injury forced the 33-year-old to announce his retirement yesterday. Having bid farewell from international rugby last October, the openside flanker lasted just four more months with Bath. Moody, a lifelong Leicester fan who enjoyed such success at Welford Road before leaving for the West Country in 2010, had hoped to add to a collection of silverware which includes a World Cup winner's medal, two Heineken Cups and seven Premiership titles. But as he told The Independent yesterday: "It was not to be. I do feel a bit of a failure as my body finally won. I know that's not the case, but I would love to help Bath in another capacity."

Perhaps this will involve coaching, although Moody stressed he would not be keen on a fast-track to any hotseat. "I'd start from low down and work my way up to see whether I enjoyed it and have what it takes to be a good coach," he said. "I've done a bit of coaching kids in schools and part of me knows I'll crave to still be a part of the game I've played all my life. I have a love for rugby that will never disappear. I think it's important to give back and impart knowledge that the guys might find useful and help them with their careers."

The guys would be wise to listen. Moody won 71 caps for England and five caps for the Lions in a 16-year career which saw him emerge as one of rugby's most combative loose forwards. He captained his country on 11 occasions, most recently in the World Cup in New Zealand.

England's tournament was overshadowed by controversy off the pitch, which featured players caught up in drinking escapades. Moody, himself, was not involved but as the captain still came in for criticism. "I was frustrated that we didn't play anywhere near as well as we could have in that World Cup," he said. "The rest of what went on is consigned to history and people will have their interpretations of it. But the fact is we could have and should have played better, and that will always annoy me. Yet, looking back over my career, I don't have many regrets."

Neither should he. The tributes which flooded in following Moody's announcement confirmed the high regard in which he is held. Sir Ian McGeechan, the Bath director of rugby, said: "Lewis was everything any coach would want from a back-row forward," while Damian Hopley, the chief executive of the Rugby Players Association, added: "Lewis has been one of the great servants of rugby in England over a magnificent career in which he lifted every major trophy in domestic, European and international rugby."

Yet the best line came from his former team-mate, and England coach, Martin Johnson: "Whenever I think back about playing with Lewis it always brings a smile to my face," said Johnson. "He had a complete disregard for his physical well-being."

Yet eventually, Moody, with a wife and two young children, was obliged to show some regard. "I've had this shoulder problem since last November and thought I'd get over it as I always have with injuries. But then I had setback after setback," said Moody. "I saw a specialist, took all the advice and on the weekend sat down with Annie [his wife] and came to an unavoidable decision that my body was saying enough is enough. This injury was one I wasn't coming back from. I'm disappointed because I never wanted an injury to retire me. But then, I was very lucky with injuries."

Added Moody: "Since I've made the decision, I get waves when it hits me: 'that's it, I won't step on to a pitch to play a game of rugby again.' I've been playing since I was five with the Bracknell minis and been a professional since I was 18. Now it's over. That won't dawn on me until the end of the season, because I will be rehabbing until then to get my shoulder sorted. This time, however, it'll be different."

A few outside-halves will doubtless say "thank goodness for that", but English rugby will sorely miss Moody. As Johnson noted, it was his courage which set him apart. "I played the way I did because I always thought I was doing it for the benefit of my team and my mates around me," said Moody. "People might think I'm mad, but I'll miss all those tackles, all that throwing myself on the floor, because I loved feeling I was contributing to the cause.

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Lewis Moody: Flanker to try his hand at coaching after body says enough is enough