Cape Town — Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber says debutant Canan Moodie’s superb performance in their 24-8 Rugby Championship victory over the Wallabies provided some answers as they aim to continue building depth ahead of the 2023 Cup.
Moodie became the second youngest Bok to make his international bow — behind veteran Frans Steyn — in the professional era. And he sure made it count.
The Bulls sensation scored a stunner of a try in Sydney as the Boks broke their almost decade-long drought Down Under.
19-YEAR-OLD CANAN MOODIE ON DEBUT 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/pSWOuqRlI7
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) September 3, 2022
Speaking after the win, Nienaber — who had previously spoken about the balancing act of grooming players while also winning Tests — said: “I’m very happy for him and I am proud. He has been very good for his franchise in the URC (United Rugby Championship) and we have been following him for quite some time.
The Boks are currently without wing Cheslin Kolbe, Sbu Nkosi (both injured) and Kurt-Lee Arendse (suspended).
“Unfortunately, we have had a few injuries and he is probably our fourth or fifth wing we have played this year. There are certain answers that we want this year, and Canan was one of them,” the Bok coach said.
🇿🇦 "Getting your first cap is special enough but scoring is even more special!"
Canan Moodie reflects on a memorable night. pic.twitter.com/TlqET9J8rZ
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) September 3, 2022
“While trying to be competitive and win the Rugby Championship, we are also looking to get some answers in some positions. So that is probably the challenge for us as a team — to be creative in squad selection and get some answers in the squad.
“With using 42 players, the sacrifice you make in terms of team selection is continuity. I would say the nice thing about tonight is that the team never lost belief, which is something that can happen if there is not consistency in team selection.
“I am very proud of Canan and also a couple of other guys tonight,” he said.
In Adelaide last weekend, the Boks created opportunities, but their finishing lacked severely, while they also had another sluggish start.
This week, there was intensity right from the start, and while there were some chances left out there in the first half especially, they scored four tries to one.
“Last week we created a couple of opportunities and I felt we didn’t take it. I thought we were better in that regard today.
“We weren’t happy with the intensity we started with last week, especially in those first 20 or 25 minutes. That was a big step-up today,” Nienaber said.
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