Jake White to use Bok star Moodie at centre this season

Bulls coach Jake White has indicated he will increasingly use Springbok utility back Canan Moodie at centre in this season’s United Rugby Championship (URC) and Champions Cup.

Moodie, who has established himself as a flying winger, was paired with inside centre David Kriel in the Bulls’ commanding 47-21 bonus-point win over Irish side Ulster at Loftus on Saturday where he impressed with his general play.

In the Springbok set-up, competition is fierce among outside backs with coach Rassie Erasmus having a pool of players such as Kurt-Lee Arendse, Aphelele Fassi, Cheslin Kolbe, Willie le Roux and Makazole Mapimpi to choose from. 

Among the centres, Erasmus has experienced campaigners like Lukhanyo Am, Damian de Allende, André Esterhuizen and Jesse Kriel in his selection pool. 

“I think long term that’s what he’ll do because when you look at outside backs for SA and me being fair to him, that’s probably the position I think he can be fast-tracked as quickly as possible,” White explained. 

“If you look at his performance today [against Ulster], every time they went towards him I did not panic because he is a very good defender. Actually, he is one of the best tacklers I have ever coached.” 

White said one of the advantages Moodie offers is his versatility. 

“The one thing we have seen with the Springboks, and it is not something we are trying to do because of that, his versatility is massive because of the combinations you can put on the field depending on who you can play and what type of conditions you are playing in. 

“When he came into the dressing room [after the Ulster game] I said to him well done and this is really what I am looking for as a centre. Him and David Kriel are both quick ballplayers, they are tall, they can stand up in a tackle, they defend incredibly well and they are quick for inside backs. 

“This is because they have played on the inside before. This is something I am going to settle on ... but it is also injury dependent and who we rotate. He is phenomenal and I have said this many times that it’s incredible for a guy of his age to be able to play 13, 14 and 15.”

The Bulls now go on a four-week tour of Europe to play Ospreys, Scarlets, Benetton and Connacht, where White wants them to continue their momentum. 

“When you coach a team like this, the mission is to win every time you play. I could never sit here as the Bulls coach and say we are going for games abroad, we want to win every game we play in. 

“It is the expectation of our supporters and people that are involved in the club expect us to be as good as we can every weekend. I know it is a cliché, but we are going to take every game on its merits and we will play accordingly against whoever is presented against us and do we as well as we can.”