If there was ever a youngster that took a chance to stake a massive Rugby World Cup claim, it was Moodie in Buenos Aires on Saturday.
The 20-year old winger, who burst onto the Springbok scene last year, was probably going into the game under threat of being left out of the World Cup squad, to be named on Tuesday after some stellar performances by Cheslin Kolbe and Moodie’s Bulls teammate Kurt-Lee Arendse.
But in the course of 80 minutes he made such a massive claim to be included that it will make it difficult to leave him out of the mix when the squad is named.
His first touch of the ball in the second minute saw him smoke Santiago Cordero on the outside for a 30 metre run, setting the tone for what was to come.
Add an intercept in the seventh minute to stop a very heavy Argentinean attacking threat, another tackle evading run in the 11th minute after retrieving an exit kick, almost scoring in the 15th minute when he was taken out in the corner and a perfect kick-pass receipt in the 18th and it was clear that while the rest of the squad were having a torrid first half, Moodie was in the form of his life.
That’s why it was only justice in the 45th minute when another kick pass found him with pinpoint accuracy and he raced in to score in the corner as the Boks took the lead.
A turnover penalty in the 49th minute and a superb read in the 57th when he shot out of defence and caught Argentina behind the gain line showed he couldn’t put a foot wrong. And later he cleared the defence, followed up his own kick and caught Cordero as he tried to run out of trouble, forcing a knock-on in the process.
It was clear that Moodie deserved the man of the match award and sent a massive message to the selectors. In the cauldron of Buenos Aires he stood up and was counted. More than once, and excelled under pressure.
And that should be what every Springbok coach is looking for.
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