Cape Town – Canan Moodie has announced himself with a bang on the United Rugby Championship scene, and he is quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with.
The 19-year-old – who hails from Paarl in the Western Cape and was schooled at Boland Landbou – was simply superb as the Bulls fullback in their 30-27 quarter-final triumph over the Sharks at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
Moodie had already made his mark at right wing in a terrific back-three alongside Kurt-Lee Arendse and Madosh Tambwe, but once Arendse was ruled out with a broken thumb, Moodie was thrust into the No 15 jersey by coach Jake White.
It was certainly a gamble, but after a few nervy moments in his first outing at fullback, he has improved in every match – and he produced a fantastic performance in the white-hot cauldron of a URC playoff against a Springbok-laden Sharks side.
Moodie was up against the man pushing for inclusion in the Bok starting XV, Aphelele Fassi, and won their one-on-one duel when looking at his overall contribution to the Bulls effort.
He added a refreshing dimension to the attack with ball-in-hand, was strong in defence and brave in claiming the high ball.
The highlight of his display was setting up Tambwe’s try, when he intercepted a pass from lock Reniel Hugo inside his 22 when the Sharks looked sure to score, and raced downfield before putting in a chip ahead.
Moodie was able to grubber the bouncing ball forward, and it looked like he was going to finish off a splendid solo effort, but then Makazole Mapimpi pushed him off the ball as it bounced over the tryline.
Tambwe followed up, though, and dotted down – and it was a surprise that Mapimpi didn’t receive a yellow card as well.
Moodie, who played for the Western Province Academy team in 2019 and became a Junior Springbok last year, reminds one of another young wing-fullback from the same province who made a similar early impact on the rugby landscape: JP Pietersen.
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They are both 1.90m tall, although Pietersen – who is from Stellenbosch – was a bit bigger physically at around 100kg compared to Moodie’s 89kg. They both have a languid running style, but don’t let that fool you…
It’s no wonder that Bulls coach Jake White was praising the youngster afterwards, as he had picked a 20-year-old Pietersen for his Springbok debut in 2006 as well.
“I thought Canan was outstanding today. Geez, that breakaway try… Right at the end there I would’ve loved him to have caught that ball in the in-goal area – (but) the blend between youth and experience…” White said after the URC quarter-final.
“He is a young guy who is 19 years old, and has gone from wing to fullback. It won’t be long before he asks me if he can play centre as well. He is a phenomenon, and if you think about it, he is playing at that level against guys like Fassi and Mapimpi, and he didn’t look out of place.
“Defensively, he was outstanding. He kicked for touch when they put him under pressure there, and I think he is the real deal.
“When you’ve got Cornal (Hendricks) and senior guys around you, like Harold Vorster, Marcell (Coetzee) running around next to you, it helps you with the confidence as well. I think he’ll get better and better and better.”
It wouldn’t be a surprise if Moodie continues to impress and makes his Bok debut on the end-of-year tour to Europe when he turns 20 in November… just like Pietersen.
Tambwe's pace 😱💨
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) June 4, 2022
First try of the match goes to the Vodacom Bulls!
📺 Stream Vodacom #URC live: https://t.co/0BMWdeEYT3 pic.twitter.com/DClBHnbugk
White also expressed his delight with another one of his young brigade, hooker Jan-Hendrik Wessels, who put in some powerful surges in the closing stages of a tense finale at Loftus Versfeld.
“One thing I’m really happy about is that Jan-Hendrik Wessels got on the field. He got two crucial lineouts and he won them both, and he needs to feel that pressure. That’s the thing I’m happy about – he’s going to have to learn that pressure,” the Bulls director of rugby said.
“Most guys maybe would’ve picked Bismarck (du Plessis) on the bench, but then you learn nothing. It’s not just about Saturday – this is about building a team for the next couple of seasons. The lesson that Jan-Hendrik got in that last 10 minutes is going to make him so much better in the next couple of years.
“Part of the journey with this group is that when they become seniors, they get these experiences as well. We will see how good we are on Friday night: if they’ve grown, or gone backwards. I like to believe that we’ve got better, so let’s see what happens on the weekend.”
That is when the Bulls will take on the mighty Leinster in the semi-finals at the RDS Arena in Dublin (8.35pm SA time kickoff), with the Stormers facing Ulster in the second semi-final on Saturday at Cape Town Stadium (3pm kickoff).
@AshfakMohamed