— Cape Town Jacques Nienaber, coach of the Springboks, said that Canan Moodie’s outstanding debut performance in their 24-8 Rugby Championship win against the Wallabies gave some answers as they continue to develop depth in preparation for the 2023 World Cup.
After veteran Frans Steyn, Moodie became the second youngest Bok to make his international debut in the professional era. He certainly made it count.
The Bulls wonder scored a spectacular try in Sydney as the Boks ended their almost ten-year drought Down Under.
DEBUT OF 19-YEAR-OLD CANADIAN MOODIE pic.twitter.com/pSWOuqRlI7
— SuperSport on Twitter (@SuperSportTV) on September 3, 2022
After the victory, Nienaber, who has previously discussed the balancing job of developing players and winning Tests, stated: “I am really thrilled and proud for him. We’ve been watching him for quite some time now, as he has performed well for his URC (United Rugby Championship) side.
The Boks are presently missing Cheslin Kolbe, Sbu Nkosi, and Kurt-Lee Arendse due to injury (suspended).
“Unfortunately, we have suffered many injuries, and he is likely our fourth or fifth wing this season. This year, we need certain responses, and Canan was one of them “explained the Bok coach.
“Getting your first cap is always a significant occasion, but scoring is much more so.”
Canan Moodie recalls a remarkable evening. pic.twitter.com/TlqET9J8rZ
— SuperSport on Twitter (@SuperSportTV) on September 3, 2022
“In addition to attempting to be competitive and win the Rugby Championship, we are searching for solutions in certain areas. Therefore, this is arguably the greatest task we have as a team: to be inventive in squad selection and to find answers inside the group.
“With the use of 42 players, consistency is sacrificed in terms of squad selection. The positive aspect of tonight is that the squad never lost faith, which is something that may occur when team selection is inconsistent.
“I am quite pleased of Canan and a few other players today,” he remarked.
Last weekend in Adelaide, the Boks generated chances, but their finishing was sorely lacking, and they made another lethargic start.
This week, there was immediate energy, and although there were missed opportunities, particularly in the first half, they scored four tries to our two.
“We generated a few chances last week, but I believe we missed them. Today, I believe we performed better in this respect.
“The intensity with which we began last week’s workout, particularly during the first 20 or 25 minutes, was unsatisfactory. That was a tremendous step-up today,” Nienaber added.
@WynonaLouw