Moodie credits Bok forwards, Am and Kriel for his fine showing at 13

Springbok wunderkind Canan Moodie has credited the forwards for laying the foundation for him to perform at outside centre, for the first time in the position at international level, in Friday night’s 35-7 win over the All Blacks at Twickenham Stadium.

The 20-year-old from Paarl can do no wrong at the moment, be it on the wing or in midfield where he played on Friday. He continued to prove he is one of the most skilled players in the game.

Moodie did everything asked of him in the No 13 jersey and, in a moment of brilliance, he even scored a wonderful try when he stepped a few New Zealand defenders while on a run from 40m out, just for it to be cancelled after the TMO adjudged him to be off-side at an earlier ruck.

‘Special’

Reflecting on his performance, which The Citizen rated as an 8/10, Moodie said the pack made his transition from wing to 13 easy and comfortable.

“It’s special coming out here against the All Blacks in front of a packed Twickenham Stadium, very special occasion,” Moodie told the Boks media team after the win over the All Blacks.

“The pack made my job easier, to be honest. At 13 for the first time, I knew what I had to do and stay composed and we got a great result,” he said.

In the build-up to the match, there was some discourse about Moodie playing 13 in Test rugby as his experience in the position stems from high school and junior rugby. However, he silenced any doubts with his commanding performance.

‘Easier to slot in’

“Centre is where I played most of my career,” he said.

“I won’t say it was easy but I was well prepped during the week by the coaches, and guys like Jesse (Kriel) and Lukhanyo (Am) were always helping me out, I could ask questions. That made it much easier for me to slot in. Like I said, if it wasn’t for the pack … they made my job easier,” said the Bulls star.

The Boks now turn their attention to getting ready for their opening Rugby World Cup game against Scotland on September 10 in Marseille.

Moodie said they still have a lot of work to do before they face the Scots.

“We had a good win against Wales and a good win against the All Blacks; we take a lot of confidence out of that. We still have a lot of work to do before we meet Scotland, that is probably the biggest one for us. We have to stay composed and know what to do against Scotland,” Moodie said.