Jake White will allow Springboks star to ‘settle’ in one position to ‘fast track’ his development
Jake White says he will allow Canan Moodie to settle in one position.
Bulls boss Jake White says he will allow Canan Moodie to settle in one position in order to fast-track his rise and development.
The 21-year-old made his Test debut for the Springboks against Australia in 2021 and has played 11 games since.
Moodie has yet to lose a Test match for South Africa and has featured three times in the centres for the side, seven times on the wing and once off the bench.
The talented youngster has also played at full-back for the Bulls but it is in the centres where White believes he can be fast-tracked in the Test set-up considering the quality of outside backs.
Canan Moodie’s long-term position
Moodie’s most recent appearance for Rassie Erasmus’ side was on the wing in the 18-12 victory over the All Blacks.
“I think long term that’s what he’ll do because when you look at outside backs for South Africa and me being fair to him, that’s probably the position I think he can fast-tracked as quickly as possible,” White said after the 47-21 win over Ulster.
“Defensively today, every time they went towards him I did not panic because he is a very good defender. Actually, he is one of the best tacklers I have ever coached.”
While White believes that outside centre is where Moodie could improve and compete for a role in the Springboks squad, he is not going to neglect the Bulls star’s versatility.
Erasmus and his coaching team have favoured versatile players in recent years, notably with the likes of Frans Steyn, Damian Willemse, Schalk Brits, Deon Fourie and Jan-Hendrik Wessels.
“The one thing we have seen with the Springboks, and it is not something we are trying to do because of that, is versatility is massive because of the combinations you can put on the field depending on who you can play and what type of conditions you are playing in,” White added.
“When I came into the dressing room [after the game] I just said to him ‘Well done, this is really what I am looking for as a centre’.
“Him and David [Kriel] are both quick ball players, they are tall, they can stand up in a tackle, they defend incredibly well and they are quick for inside backs because they have both played in the outside backs as well.
“This is something I am going to settle on going forward but it is also injury-dependent and who we rotate.
“He is phenomenal and I have said this many times, for guys of his age to play 13, 14 and 15 that’s an incredible skill and attribute to have in a country like this.”
Springboks stars supercharge comprehensive Bulls win over Ulster at Loftus Versfeld
White to take his Springboks north
Ahead of the match, White said that he had picked the Bulls’ best team in the last four years and the side duly delivered a strong performance scoring seven tries to Ulster’s three.
Returning Springboks Kurt-Lee Arendse and Elrigh Louw both crossed for tries along with Kriel, Johan Grobbelaar, Moodie, Cameron Hanekom and Boeta Chamberlain. Jacob Stockdale, Ben Carson and Stewart Moore scored tries for Ulster who fell to their second defeat in three games.
The Bulls will now depart north for their upcoming URC fixtures against Ospreys, Scarlets, Benetton and Connacht before kicking off their Investec Champions Cup campaign against Saracens in London.
For the upcoming touring matches, White has confirmed that he will be taking his Springboks players with him.
