“We Got What We Wanted”: Moodie Warns All Blacks As Springboks Launch RGR Series Preparations
Springbok utility back Canan Moodie said the Boks were ready to switch their focus to the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry (RGR) series after returning to South Africa following their 17-10 victory over Argentina in Buenos Aires last Saturday.
The travelling squad returned to South African shores in two groups on Monday night and Tuesday, and underwent flush-out sessions in the gym following their return to recover from the long journey.
The entire training camp squad – including the group of players who remained in South Africa to focus on their preparations for the RGR series – are set to return to the training field in Johannesburg on Friday and Saturday to continue putting the building blocks in place for their four back-to-back Tests against New Zealand.
The teams will cross paths on four successive weekends at 10bet Ellis Park in Johannesburg on 22 August, DHL Stadium in Cape Town on 29 August, FNB Stadium in Johannesburg on 5 September, and M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, USA, on 12 September in the inaugural RGR series.
Moodie, who started at outside centre in the clash against Los Pumas, reflected on the match against Argentina and said it was valuable for the team’s preparation for the forthcoming challenge.
“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.”
The 23-year-old back said last week’s match was particularly important for some players to get a full-blown, tough Test match under their belts, especially with several players returning from injury, including Eben Etzebeth and Lood de Jager (both locks), Siya Kolisi (flanker), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (flyhalf), and Morne van den Berg (scrumhalf).
It was also important for Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus to continue building player combinations.
“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. When it gets tough, we can dig deep and hopefully get the result.”
While the Springboks will have the luxury of home-ground advantage in three of their four matches against the All Blacks, Moodie said the experience of facing a vocal and passionate crowd in Buenos Aires was valuable preparation for the players mentally ahead of the Castle Double Malt RGR series.
“It was very big,” said Moodie. “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.”
The Test matches against New Zealand will be followed by a one-off match between the Springboks and Wallabies in Perth on Sunday, 27 September.
