Springboks: Starlet Canan Moodie ruled out of November Tests with a hamstring injury
Canan Moodie of South Africa during the 2022 Castle Lager Rugby Championship match between South Africa and Argentina held at Kings Park in Durban on 24 September 2022 ©Gerhard Duraan/Sports Inc
Springbok teenager Canan Moodie has been ruled out of South Africa’s end-of-year tour to the Northern Hemisphere in November with a hamstring injury.
Moodie burst onto the Test scene last month, scoring a try on debut in Brisbane after flying high above Wallaby flyer Marika Koroibete to gather a high ball.
The Bulls star would go on to earn three Test caps by the end of the Rugby Championship but was injured on his return to the United Rugby Championship in a clash against Connacht.
Returning late November
Jake White, the Bulls’ director of rugby, confirmed Moodie would hopefully return to the field at the end of November ahead of a busy December.
“Canan is out for about eight weeks,” White said.
“He won’t play any part in our last few games in the URC before the November break and probably won’t be available to tour with the Springboks. Hopefully he will be back at the end of November to start the second part of the URC with us.”
Despite the starlet’s rise to prominence with the Springboks, coach Jacques Nienaber will still have options at right wing, with Cheslin Kolbe returning to play for French side Toulon as well as Kurt-Lee Arendse showing good form for the Bulls.
Tour fixtures
The Springboks will play four Tests and two mid-week games in November, starting with a difficult clash against top-ranked Ireland on November 5. A Test against Six Nations champions France follows a week later on November 12, and a trip to Italy on November 19. South Africa’s tour ends with a clash against England at Twickenham on November 26.
The first of the two mid-week games will see a South Africa XV face Munster in Ireland on November 10, while the same side will face Bristol Bears a week later on November 17.
