Springbok youngster Canan Moodie has been tipped for a bright future at outside centre ahead of his first start in the position against the All Blacks.
Moodie was a surprise inclusion in the midfield when the Springboks named their team to face New Zealand at Twickenham.
The 20-year-old is the youngest player in the Springboks squad and earns just his sixth Test cap on Friday, but crucially, his first at number 13.
The Springboks’ toughest position
Moodie has switched between full-back and wing for the Bulls and only played on the wing for the Springboks, but following the injury to Lukhanyo Am, the coaching staff have opted to test him in the role.
Bok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick is confident that Moodie will thrive in the centres, with Andre Esterhuizen on his inside, and the switch could make him an even better player.
“If I look back at the past two seasons working with Canan, we’ve seen his potential, and we’ve seen what he can do on the wing,” Stick said.
“But what people don’t realise is that playing on the wing in our system and how we defend, it is probably one of the toughest positions with the kind of reads and decisions they have to make on the outside.
“From what he has shown to us, in the spaces out wide, he has great potential as someone who can make those good defensive reads further in field, and to put him in tighter (at centre), I think, is going make him an even better player.”
Moodie’s maturity
Moodie scored a try on his Test debut against Australia last year and more recently produced man-of-the-match performances against Argentina and Wales on the wing.
He also crossed the whitewash twice against Wales, but it is on defence where Moodie has really impressed the coaches.
“But when I look at his potential and the maturity for his age, the decisions he is making on the field is a sign of great potential,” Stick added.
The Bulls flyer caught the eye as a schoolboy, where he featured most at outside centre but shifted to the wing when going professional.
While the decision to move him into the midfield looks to be reactionary following the injury to Am, Stick revealed that it was something the coaches had in mind.
“It is something that we as a coaching staff have always thought about for the past two seasons, and look at his physique and the heart that he has, I think he has got what it takes to become one of those great outside centres,” he said.
“If you look at the guy who’s playing opposite him, Rieko Ioane also started his professional career playing wing, and now he is probably one of the best outside centres, on form currently.
“I think Moodie has that potential; he has those qualities, and it’s going to be a great occasion for him.”
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