Bulls and Springbok winger Canan Moodie says he did not expect the meteoric rise he has had in his rugby career so far.
His breakthrough performances for the Bulls and Boks this year have seen him earn a SA Rugby awards nomination for Young Player of the Year alongside Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Jaden Hendrikse, Evan Roos and Henco van Wyk.
In all the appearances he has made this year, standing at 1.91m, Moodie never looked out of place; he played with the aura of a seasoned player.
The moment the rugby fraternity took notice of the 19-year-old was during his debut for the Boks in the Rugby Championship against Australia. He marked his debut with a sensational try, catching a Garryowen kick in the air and running to the white line. His rise caught many off guard, including himself.
“I didn’t expect it (his rise). I went to a small school (Boland Landbou), 350 boys, a small farming school outside of Paarl. I never expected this to happen [so soon], I didn’t think I’ll become the second youngest ever Springbok to debut in the professional era,” said Moodie when speaking to the media.
“It’s been a crazy year for me, I kept on working regardless of where I was. The dream to play for the Springboks was always there, and it came quicker than I thought.”
Moodie and Kurt-Lee Arendse have provided much-needed depth on the wings for the Boks, easing the overreliance on Cheslin Kolbe and Makazole Mapimpi. For the 19-year-old, being in the presence of world-class players in the Bok camp motivated him to work even harder.
“For me, it was very exciting, these are world class players and that’s where you want to be. To see how these guys are performing, you want to get to that point where you can perform against them.
“For me, it was motivation to make sure when I get back to the field I can do everything I can to get my spot back in the team or put the coaches on the toes on who to choose,” he said.
Moodie’s side, the Bulls, will travel to England to take on Exeter Chiefs in a Champions Cup match on Saturday at Sandy Park (3pm).
Meteoric rise leaves Moodie pinching himself
Boks, Bulls teen sensation nodded for Young Player of the Year
Image: Steven Markham/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Bulls and Springbok winger Canan Moodie says he did not expect the meteoric rise he has had in his rugby career so far.
His breakthrough performances for the Bulls and Boks this year have seen him earn a SA Rugby awards nomination for Young Player of the Year alongside Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Jaden Hendrikse, Evan Roos and Henco van Wyk.
In all the appearances he has made this year, standing at 1.91m, Moodie never looked out of place; he played with the aura of a seasoned player.
The moment the rugby fraternity took notice of the 19-year-old was during his debut for the Boks in the Rugby Championship against Australia. He marked his debut with a sensational try, catching a Garryowen kick in the air and running to the white line. His rise caught many off guard, including himself.
“I didn’t expect it (his rise). I went to a small school (Boland Landbou), 350 boys, a small farming school outside of Paarl. I never expected this to happen [so soon], I didn’t think I’ll become the second youngest ever Springbok to debut in the professional era,” said Moodie when speaking to the media.
“It’s been a crazy year for me, I kept on working regardless of where I was. The dream to play for the Springboks was always there, and it came quicker than I thought.”
Moodie and Kurt-Lee Arendse have provided much-needed depth on the wings for the Boks, easing the overreliance on Cheslin Kolbe and Makazole Mapimpi. For the 19-year-old, being in the presence of world-class players in the Bok camp motivated him to work even harder.
“For me, it was very exciting, these are world class players and that’s where you want to be. To see how these guys are performing, you want to get to that point where you can perform against them.
“For me, it was motivation to make sure when I get back to the field I can do everything I can to get my spot back in the team or put the coaches on the toes on who to choose,” he said.
Moodie’s side, the Bulls, will travel to England to take on Exeter Chiefs in a Champions Cup match on Saturday at Sandy Park (3pm).
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