SA v NZ: The stuff dreams are made of
Dreams seldom come true on a rugby field, but for Canan Moodie, Saturday’s blockbuster Rugby Championship Test between the Springboks and All Blacks at the Cape Town Stadium (5pm kick-off) will be as good as it gets.
Still only 21, Moodie – who hails from Paarl in the Western Cape – will earn his 11th cap for the world champions after being included at right wing by coach Rassie Erasmus on Thursday.
Moodie is replacing a fellow Paarl superstar, Kurt-Lee Arendse, who was ruled out with concussion after taking a blow to the head in last weekend’s 31-27 victory over New Zealand at Emirates Airline Park (formerly Ellis Park Stadium) in Johannesburg.
It has been a tough road back into the Bok side for Moodie, though, as a finger injury kept him sidelined earlier in the year, causing him to miss Test matches against Wales, Ireland, Portugal and Australia.
He’s had to fight his way back via the Currie Cup for the Blue Bulls over the last few weeks, and now he has been handed an opportunity of a lifetime: to face the All Blacks in his home province.
“It is very special. I tried to keep it on the low-down in the week, but the team is out now – so I’m probably going to get some messages for tickets!” Moodie said with a smile on Thursday.
“Growing up in Cape Town, these are the games you think about running in the streets, thinking you are facing the All Blacks. So, this is a very special opportunity.
“I take a lot of confidence out of the game at Twickenham (last year) against them, and know which pictures to expect this weekend.
“In our communities in the Cape, there are many New Zealand supporters.
So, as a Springbok, this is the game you want to play in.
“It’s the dream that has become true, as I also played against them at Twickenham. This one is at home, and it’s very special.
“It’s been a tough couple of weeks and months with the injury I had, but once you’re not here, you know how special it is to be here and you are very desperate to get back into it.
“So, I’m grateful to be back here and show what I can do again.”
The Boks received a welcome boost on Thursday as captain Siya Kolisi was passed fit to play despite sustaining a broken nose in last weekend’s match, following a tackle by All Black flank Sam Cane.
Kolisi will need to have his nose “reset”, said Erasmus, but the enormity of the occasion convinced him to delay the process.
“The massive thing about this game – not just for the Rugby Championship, but for us playing the All Blacks here at the Cape Town Stadium, it is a big one, and everybody wants to play there,” the Bok coach said.
“Siya himself wanted the option to play now and get it reset in two weeks’ time. But he might look like Kwagga (Smith, who has suffered a broken nose on several occasions)!”
There is set to be a capacity 55 000-strong crowd in attendance on Thursday, with even the handful of the most expensive tickets that were released being snapped up.
It is set to be a grand occasion, the biggest sporting event in the Mother City for a number of years, with the All Blacks having last played in Cape Town in 2017 – winning 25-24 at Newlands.
The visitors will again enjoy substantial support this weekend in what is a repeat of last year’s Rugby World Cup final in Paris – which the South Africans won 12-11 – having already received a warm welcome at the Cape Town International Airport on Sunday.
New Zealand coach Scott “Razor” Robertson said on Thursday: “We’ve had plenty of supporters outside the hotel.
They love a selfie and an autograph, and they know the players just as well as they do at home.
“We know that there are a lot of passionate supporters here, and we look forward to playing in front of them.”
The 2021 three-Test series against the British and Irish Lions was played behind closed doors at Cape Town Stadium due to Covid-19 restrictions, and Erasmus cannot wait to experience the buzz of an electric atmosphere on Saturday – even with a few Cape All Black fans in the stands.
“Here, we are staying at the Cullinan (Hotel) ... it’s bloody nice. Cape Town is a lekker place.
“We know it’s lekker for overseas teams too, and I’ve played a few Tests at Newlands,” the former loose forward said.
“Typically you would get those guys sitting at the front and the chirps that they give when you run onto the field ... They always used to chirp me about my calves!
“They will probably chirp me now about my big tummy!
“There are characters here. The Cape represents such a rich mix of people who support the Boks – and even the All Blacks as well.
“It’s a lekker, vibey thing. The people go down the fan walk to the stadium, and we’ve played at Cape Town Stadium where it was awful without a crowd (during Covid-19).
“Cape Town, like many other cities in South Africa, have that something special in them, and I think it’s the people that come and who really bring their hearts and enjoy it.
“Next to you sits an All Black fan, and there sits an old tannie and here sits a young boy.
“And it’s one of the biggest tourist attractions in the land, with Table Mountain and all the things.
“We’ve explained it to the players, and said it’s going to be very tough to beat New Zealand in Cape Town. There is no altitude here, and they (the All Blacks) enjoy it here and really like to come here.
“But we love it, and we like to come here. I think we will be up for the game, and not get caught out sleeping.”
Cape Times