Canan Moodie is a South African rugby player who plays as a wing for the Bulls and the Springboks. Growing up, Canan failed to impress and could not even make the starting team at his school. However, time flew so fast that a couple of years later, he was already playing for the Springboks.
Off rugby, Canan Moodie came through difficult times and situations with a drug house located a couple of doors from his. Coming from such a background, Canan Moodie has a different lifestyle from most athletes.
SUMMARY
Full name: Canan Moodie
Date of birth: 5 November 2002
Age: 23 years
Place of birth: Paarl, South Africa
Girlfriend: unknown
Children: none
Height: 1.91 m
Weight: 92 kg
THE FIRST TOUGH YEARS – CANAN MOODIE’S EARLY LIFE
Born on 5 November 2002, Canan Moodie grew up in Paarl with a strong passion for rugby. Moodie’s early days as a young boy with a dream of playing rugby were not easy. He attended school at Paarl Boys’ Primary School but struggled to develop his talent. Sometimes he would walk around 15 km to play rugby.
He moved on to enrol at Boland Agricultural High School, and that proved to be the best decision in his development. At the boarding school, he found space to focus on his rugby development fully. He found space in the school team playing as a centre.
During high school, he won the High School Championship, opening a new phase in his life.
CAREER
After impressing in high school, Canan Moodie found himself representing the Western Province youth teams. This brought him back into the spotlight, showcasing his talent.
After finishing High School, Canan joined the Blue Bulls academy to further his development. He went on to represent the Blue Bulls in the 2022 Currie Cup, drawing significant attention.
His performances with the Blue Bulls drew the Bulls’ attention and offered him a professional contract in 2022. He did not take long to establish himself in the team under coach Jake White’s guidance. Indeed, Canan became a national talk before the Springboks coaches called him.
SPRINGBOKS
In August 2022, Rassie Erasmus and his team called Canan Moodie for the away matches tour against Australia. He went on to get his debut against Australia and scored a try in the game. His debut made him the second youngest player to ever play for the Springboks.
Moodie impressed and, to many fans’ surprise, was included in the Springboks 2023 Rugby World Cup squad in France. Even though he played little at the World Cup, Canan Moodie went on to be part of the winning squad.
Since then, Canan Moodie has been at the top of his game and was nominated for the 2025 SA Rugby Young Player of the Year. He battles the award against some talented stars like Zachary Porthen, Sacha Feinverg-Mngomezulu, Ethan Hooker and Haashim Pead.
CANAN MOODIE’S LIFE AFTER THE FINAL WHISTLE
On top of a promising rugby career, one that is already successful, Canan Moodie also has a life away from the game. The first point is his ability to stay away from drugs when he lived a few doors away from the drug den.
“We all have different backgrounds, but mine was gangsterism, drugs,” Moodie said. “Two houses away from me was a drug house. When I go home now, things are still there. It wasn’t the greatest of environments to grow up in. Playing touch rugby on the grass or in the road was our way of staying busy and keeping away from that,” he finished speaking of his background and how he survived drug abuse.
CANAN MOODIE’S FAMILY
Despite growing up in such a hostile environment, Canan Moodie managed to stay away from drugs. Indeed, most credit goes to the people close to him, his family and friends. Canan’s father is Raymond Moodie, and his mother is Chantel Moodie.
His mother, Chantel, once spoke about Canan and revealed essential details about his childhood. “He said that is all he ever wants to do, to make us proud. All he wants to do is make his family and his parents proud,” Chantel said, praising her son.
CANAN MOODIE’S LOVE LIFE (GIRLFRIEND AND MORE)
Since his breakthrough, Canan has not yet openly revealed much about his love life.
However, Canan left some fans concerned after his picture with Springbok dietitian Zeenat Simjee went viral.
CARS
When it comes to the road, Canan Moodie once posted one of his cars, and he called it the best. Canan is a Mercedes-Benz fanatic, even though he rarely shares much about his cars.
The only car he revealed is an Executive luxury sedan with a sporty AMG Line body kit. It has a diamond/star-pattern grille with a large central Mercedes emblem, LED headlights, aggressive lower intakes, and a low/wide stance.