Springbok wing Canan Moodie has been beaming since the Boks arrived in Toulon and where they will be based in the lead-up to Sunday’s Rugby World Cup opener against Scotland, and said the opportunity was a dream come true.
The 20-year-old Moodie admitted the reality of being in the Springbok RWC squad had yet to set in fully, but he was relishing every moment of being with the team in France for the biggest tournament of his young career.
“It’s slowly starting to set in what a dream come true it is to be here,” said Moodie.
“In 2019 I was still in school watching these guys win the World Cup, and now I get to wear the kit with the 2019 winner’s badge on it. So, it’s very special and I’m very fortunate to be here.
“The long wait is over and in less than a week we get started with the competition.”
Moodie said the squad’s preparations for the tournament had put them in the best possible place to hone in on the preparations for Scotland, which will ramp-up on Tuesday when the Springboks have their first field training session in Toulon.
“We did everything we could in Corsica to ensure that we could hit the ground running here in Toulon, and the conditions were pretty tough, but it’s what we expect this side as well,” said Moodie. “All in all, we are well prepared in terms of what we are expecting in the World Cup.”
Moodie expected a tough tussle against Scotland in Marseille on Sunday and said they would give everything to get their campaign off to a strong start.
“Every game is important, especially in a pool as tough as ours,” said Moodie. “We are starting off against Scotland and it’s a very important game in our campaign because we want to start off well.
“We’ve been preparing the whole year for this, and with all the matches and preparation leading into this, I think we’ll be ready for Sunday.”
