Springboks latest: Canan Moodie reveals how ‘important’ Argentina Test was with preparations for Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series
Springboks utility Canan Moodie.
Springboks utility back Canan Moodie said they are ready to switch their focus to the eagerly anticipated Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series against the All Blacks.
After clinching a hard-fought 17-10 victory over Argentina in Buenos Aires, the world champions returned to South Africa in two groups on Monday night and Tuesday and had flush-out sessions at the gym to recover from the long trip.
The Springboks‘ entire training camp squad – including the group of players who remained in South Africa to focus on their preparations for Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series – are set to return to the field in Johannesburg on Friday and Saturday.
Fully focused on Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series
This is to continue putting the building blocks in place for their four back-to-back Tests against the All Blacks.
The arch-rivals are set to face off on four successive weekends at Ellis Park in Johannesburg (August 22), the DHL Stadium in Cape Town (August 29), FNB Stadium in Johannesburg (September 5), and at the M&T Bank Stadium, in Baltimore, USA (September 12) in the inaugural RGR series.
Equally adept in midfield or on the wing, Moodie wore the number 13 jersey in the clash against Argentina last weekend.
The 23-year-old reflected on the match against Los Pumas which he believed was valuable for the world champions’ preparations for their forthcoming challenge against the All Blacks.
“We got out of that game what we wanted to, so now it’s full focus on the All Blacks series,” said Moodie. “They’ve already played against the DHL Stormers and the Hollywoodbets Sharks, so we’ll be dialled into what they’re doing, and preparing as best we can.”
Moodie said the clash against Los Pumas was particularly important for those players in the Springboks squad who needed game-time after returning to action following lengthy stints on the sidelines due to injury and for Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus to continue building player combinations.
Among those players who returned from injury were Eben Etzebeth, Lood de Jager (both locks), Siya Kolisi (captain and flanker), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (fly-half) and Morne van den Berg (scrum-half).
‘Getting 80 minutes was very important’
“I think a lot of the boys who returned from injuries aren’t quite match-fit yet, so getting 80 minutes (of game time) was very important,” said Moodie.
“It wasn’t easy, but the guys showed a lot of character, and hopefully we can carry that into the next Test series, and when it gets tough, we can dig deep and hopefully get the result.”
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While the Springboks will have the luxury of home ground advantage in three of their four Tests against the All Blacks, Moodie believes the experience of facing a vocal and passionate crowd in Buenos Aires was great mental preparation for Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.
“It was very big,” he said. “As players, we were well prepared for what was to come against Argentina and a lot of the boys hadn’t played there before, but it was about sticking to our systems and doing what we wanted to as a team.
“It took a lot of character, but our systems were there backing us against the fatigue, their long kicking game, and a hostile crowd, and that worked out for us.”
After their four Tests against New Zealand, South Africa will take on Australia in Perth on September 27.
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