Esterhuizen excited to link up with Moodie against All Blacks

Springbok centre Andre Esterhuizen is excited to link up with young up-and-coming Bok star Canan Moodie in the midfield for the team’s final Rugby World Cup warm-up match against the All Blacks at Twickenham on Friday night.

Moodie has been in sublime form for the Boks this season with two man-of-the-match awards out of three starts, and three tries in his last two games, but all of that has come at his more familiar position of right wing.

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Despite the unfamiliarity of featuring at outside centre against the All Blacks this Friday, Esterhuizen backed Moodie to bring his thrilling flare into the midfield.

“Canan is an exciting player and he’s shown it with how he can score tries with ball in hand. He must just go out there and stay composed. I have no doubt we’ll link up well together,” said Esterhuizen.

Eager to impress

Esterhuizen himself will be eager to impress with him playing a much more active role in the Bok setup than in previous years, while he is also finally going to the World Cup for the first time.

In 2019 he just missed out on selection for the group and then didn’t feature for the Boks until last year, where he was mainly a fringe player with just one start and two appearances off the bench over the 2022 season.

However, the All Blacks game will be his third start out of the Boks’ six games so far this season and Esterhuizen is relishing the chance to have more game time.

“I’m very excited to get more opportunities this year. I just want to give my best. The competition for places is very healthy. Everyone wants to start every weekend, and no-one is complacent. When we put on the jersey we are playing for the team,” said Esterhuizen.

“We won’t hold back anything (against the All Blacks). Every match is important for us, so we’ll give everything we can on the field and do our best.

“There’s a good chance we’ll meet them in the World Cup quarter-final, so this is a good opportunity for us.”

Make amends

This is the second clash between the two Southern Hemisphere heavyweights this season, with the All Blacks emerging as 35-20 winners in Auckland last month thanks to a fast start, and the Boks will be aiming to make amends on Friday.

“To face them twice in the build-up to the World Cup is good for our preparation for the tournament, so we want to make the most of this match and opportunity on the field,” said Esterhuizen.

“We let ourselves down in Auckland, so as a team we have to ensure we give it all from the start. One can’t always ask for a good start, but what we can do from our side is to approach the game with intensity and physicality from the outset.”