Canan Moodie paid tribute to his older brother, Keanu, for helping him through lockdown and preparing him for a spectacular rise that was rewarded with the 2022 SA Rugby Young Player of the Year award.
The cherry was put on top of Moodie’s incredible 2022 when the 20-year-old was named South African rugby’s best young player.
Having only made his senior debut for the Vodacom Bulls in January 2022, Moodie very quickly showed his potential and was rewarded with a surprise first Test call-up in the Rugby Championship.
This turned into a starting debut for the Springboks against the Wallabies in Sydney, where he scored a try to help South Africa to a historic win.
“Its a massive honour and privilege,” Moodie told reporters about his award on Wednesday. “Its a very prestigious award, players like Eben [Etzebeth] have won it before, so it is very special. I am humbled to be chosen for this award. It’s a very special way for me to top off my season.
“I am very grateful for the Bulls taking a chance on me. I wasn’t really known from school so I had to work hard in every game and every training, making sure I was ready to take the chance when it came.”
What made Moodie’s rise even more spectacular was that his final year of school was marred by the pandemic, so he didn’t get to experience any age-grade representative rugby.
Moodie said he would be forever grateful to his coach at Boland Landbou, Oloff Bergh, for putting in place the move to the Vodacom Bulls, while he also credited his older brother, a Stellenbosch University graduate, for helping him stay motivated during the pandemic.
“My brother always pushed me to be better and get past my limits. He was the one who supported me when times were tough. We always had the dream of being successful, but a lot of sacrifices had to be made.”
My brother gracing the cover of @SARugbymag is another big milestone. I remember him always buying a magazine and just intensely read the articles. It all comes full circle, another historic moment. @CananMoodie #teamworkmakesthedreamwork pic.twitter.com/5edcpBFtjx
— Keanu Moodie (@yungmood8) September 24, 2022
Moodie is acutely aware of the need to stay grounded with his newfound fame and that he needs to keep working on improving if he wants to avoid second-season syndrome.
“Last year, teams didn’t analyse me or maybe I wasn’t seen as a threat. But now I have to be a bit more sharp in my game. I’m working hard on the high balls, because teams are sharpening up on protecting and ushering, so I need to work on getting to the contest.
“Being back home, its a new adaption, you can’t just go to the mall,” Moodie added with a chuckle. “That’s been a focus for me, as a 20 year old, all this attention and hype is here now, but you have to let the main thing stay the main thing. I still have to work hard to ensure I stay at my best on the field.”
Photo: Matt King/Getty Images
