Moodie blow for Springboks ahead of end of year tour

Young Springbok wing sensation Canan Moodie has received a blow to his international development after Bulls coach Jake White confirmed that he would most likely miss the Boks end of year tour through injury.

Moodie limped off the field in the first half of the Bulls United Rugby Championship win over Connacht at Loftus over the past weekend, with White explaining at a pre-match press conference ahead of their clash with Glasgow Warriors, that he expected him to be out until December.

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“Canan looks at this stage as if he is going to be out for about eight weeks. So he won’t play any part in the rest of our games before the international break and he probably won’t tour with the Springboks either,” said White

“Hopefully he will be back by the end of November when we kick off the second part of the URC.”

Although disappointing for Moodie, it is not a major blow to the Boks, as Cheslin Kolbe is set to make his return from injury for Toulon this weekend.

Good news

Kurt-Lee Arendse will also be available for the end of year tour and the Bulls received good news that Sbu Nkosi had been passed fit to play and would be joining them for the rest of their tour, with him being another right wing option for the Boks.

White however has decided not to risk playing probable Bok starting flyhalf Johan Goosen against Glasgow, as they will be playing on the same type of 4G pitch that caused Goosen’s terrible knee injury last year.

“I am not going to risk him on a 4G pitch. The reality is that no Test match that is in tier one is played on a 4G pitch for a reason. He got injured on that surface (last year),” said White.

“So I feel from a player welfare point of view, and because he has come back from a horrific injury, being out for 11 months, I just don’t feel like we should risk playing him on a 4G pitch.”