Canan Moodie escaped gang violence to become rugby’s rapidly rising star

South Africa’s 20-year-old back grew up next to a drug den but a supportive family and street-honed skills have changed his life

The Springboks were awesomely good on Friday night but Canan Moodie’s story is something else again. Just 20, the exciting youngster from the Cape grew up two doors down from a drug den and had to walk up to 15km simply to attend training sessions. No wonder his eyes sparkle as he reflects on his remarkable journey from the edge of nowhere to trouncing the All Blacks at Twickenham.

If the athletic, charming Moodie looks and sounds like a ready-made superstar direct from central casting the truth is starkly different. Growing up in a poverty-stricken area called Amstelhof near Paarl, he learned to play rugby out in the road in a neighbourhood where gang violence was rife.

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/zqoa6mC

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