Moodie’s family shed tears of joy after dream Bok debut

Canan Moodie, who became the second youngest Springbok debutant in the professional era at 19 years old on Saturday, had a memorable game and scored the Springboks’ second try on the stroke on half-time when he gathered another high ball in front of Marika Koroibete to run in for his try out wide.

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It was a wonderful moment, which was celebrated wildly by his teammates on the sidelines, while a touching video has also emerged of his family in Paarl watching and celebrating the moment together.

His mother Chantel chatted to Cape Talk about the emotions in the household, and what Moodie told them after phoning home after the game.

“Wow, it was mixed emotions, it was pride… me and his dad were standing next to each other and we were crying. I don’t know much about rugby but that try was excellent,” she said.

“He didn’t even talk much (when he phoned after the game). We just take the phone to everyone’s faces. He was all smiles, he was just proud that he could do this for his country, for the Springboks, and his family.

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Moodie himself has also spoken about the special moment.

“I called them after the match and they were very excited. They all got together, friends and family, so they all enjoyed the game together and it was obviously special to score a try and that was very nice to see them happy and make them proud,” he added.

“To everyone [in the family] who has supported me, I just want to say thank you very much for everything they’ve done for me to get to this point, so it was very special to cap it [debut] off like this.”

You can watch the try and celebrations for Moodie below:

Nienaber was understandably happy with the Boks’ first win over the Wallabies in Australia since the 38-12 victory in 2013, while he also expressed his delight with the performance of the 19-year-old Moodie.

“I am happy and proud for Canan – he’s been good for his franchise (the Bulls), and we’ve been following his performances for a while,” said Nienaber.

“He is the fourth or fifth wing we’ve played this year, and it is tough on teams, but at the same time it gives us answers with an eye on the Rugby World Cup.”

This year’s Rugby Championship has already thrown up a host of unexpected results, with each team proving capable of claiming victory on any given day.

Last weekend, the Boks were humbled by Australia in Adelaide, while the All Blacks suffered a historic defeat against Argentina.

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Just a week later, there was a complete reversal in fortunes once again as South Africa outplayed the Wallabies in Sydney, while the All Blacks annihilated the Pumas in wet-weather conditions.

A look at the log suddenly shows the All Blacks leading the way with 10 log points, while Australia, South Africa and Argentina are just one point behind.

Interestingly, though, it’s the Boks who might suddenly fancy their chances of claiming back-to-back wins over the Pumas, with the final game in Durban certainly presenting a possible chance for a bonus-point victory.

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Australia will host New Zealand in Melbourne before travelling to Eden Park for a rematch, and it really wouldn’t be all that surprising to see these games being very closely contested.

Ultimately there is everything to play for in the final two rounds of Rugby Championship fixtures, but after the Boks fell to the bottom of the log last weekend, they will suddenly be feeling a lot more optimistic about their chances.

Let us know in the comments section who you feel is now the favourite to win the tournament.

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You can check out the Rugby Championship standings below:

BOKS-WALLABIES POINT SCORERS:

Australia – (3) 8

Try: Pete Samu 

Penalty: Noah Lolesio

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South Africa – (12) 24

Tries: Damian de Allende, Canan Moodie, Franco Mostert, Makazole Mapimpi

Conversions: Damian Willemse, Frans Steyn

PICTURE: SPRINGBOK LUKHANYO AM UNDERGOES SUCCESSFUL SURGERY