Bok Moerat adds to family legacy
Stormers lock Salmaan Moerat had a lump in his throat when asked how he felt about the fact he is adding to his family’s Springbok legacy.
This week, Moerat was named on the bench when Jacques Nienaber announced his Bok team for yesterday’s match against Wales at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, the first of a three-test series.
The Moerat family is steeped in South African rugby history, dating back to the 1940s when two cousins, Naeem and Abbas, were selected to represent the national side.
Salmaan will become the 12th member of his family to represent South Africa in test rugby, with 10 of them having received their Springbok blazers post-unification, including his father Nazeem.
“It is a very emotional moment for me and my family,” Moerat said. “It is something that I have been working towards for a very long time.”
It has been a roller-coaster journey for Moerat.
Having graduated from Paarl Boys’ High, Moerat captained the Junior Springboks at the World Rugby Under-20 Championship in France in 2018, where the team finished third after a one-point semifinal loss to England.
Domestically, Moerat’s career has been hampered by injuries, the most serious of which was to his neck in April last year. Having recovered from a serious knee injury in January, he finished the domestic season as a key performer for the Stormers in their United Rugby Championship title win.
“We have been operating together since 2015. He has been a leader with the Junior Boks and at the Stormers,” the Bok coach said.
“He is a hard worker, he is coachable and he brings nice physicality, which we like.” –