It was destiny realised when Salmaan Moerat was named as the 66th Springbok captain and the first Muslim captain of the national side ahead of Saturday’s ground-breaking test against Portugal in Bloemfontein.
Moerat has seemingly always been destined for greatness, but on Saturday he will write the next chapter in the legacy of a great Cape rugby family and notch up another unique milestone for a side that truly represents every part of South African culture.
With Salmaan Moerat set to captain the Springboks this weekend against Portugal, lets rewind the clock two years back to when he made his debut in Pretoria 🇿🇦👏 pic.twitter.com/FsOsFVXqDI
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) July 16, 2024
The Boks have been wanting to give Moerat his chance for so long, but injuries have stunted that along the way and delayed his time. Against Portugal, he has the ideal chance to cement himself in the leadership group and take a massive step forward to a place in the 2027 World Cup squad.
The injuries to Lood de Jager, Jean Kleyn and more recently Franco Mostert have placed more of a premium on Moerat’s form in the side, so much so that the Boks feel that having him ascend to the leadership role has come at the right time, and presents a challenge that they believe he will overcome with ease.
EASY CHOICE
On Tuesday, Erasmus said it was an easy choice to bring him in as captain, precisely because he has so much overwhelming support within the team.
“Salmaan commands respect from his teammates, so we’d like to congratulate him on this achievement, and we have no doubt that he’ll take on this responsibility as well as he has for the other teams he has led.
“He has come through the SA Rugby ranks and he went on to captain the Junior Springboks and SA Schools teams, as well as the DHL Stormers and Western Province, which speaks volumes about his quality as a player and a captain.”
Erasmus also relayed a story that impacted him of Moerat doing that little bit extra at the Stormers, even while not playing.
The Stormers were playing away at Munster," recalled Erasmus.
"He was standing captain at the time, but couldn't play because he was injured. He was a week away from playing.
"He knew I coached Munster so he asked me [via a text message] what can he do to help the team. Maybe I knew something about Munster because I used to coach Munster.
"I found out later that he flew to be with the team at his own cost.
"He's captain material. We picked him because he is a great leader. He doesn't stand back physically or tactically. So it's well deserved."
LEGACY
The legacy that Moerat will bring with him to the field should not be underestimated, just ask anyone who has been watching rugby in Paarl over the past few decades.
His family are widely considered rugby royalty and it is noteworthy that Moerat is the 11th Springbok in the family - although the only one to get his national colours while playing and in the modern era.
Moerat, who at 2 metres tall and 116kg is a gentle giant, knows that he carries not only the weight of a rugby family revered in his local community, but he has the ability to fulfil the destiny that evaded the rest of his family through several generations.
It has been five decades since Salmaan's uncles Ikraam and Marwaan Moerat were part of a South African Rugby Football Federation (Proteas) side that toured the United Kingdom in 1971 to play six matches. They were the first and he is now the 12th member of the Moerat family to represent a national side.
But unlike the others - 10 were given their Springbok blazers post-unification - he is the first of the professional era, the unification era and first to receive his while he is still playing. Moerat indicated when making his debut two years ago that he knew exactly how heavy the weight was on his shoulders.
PRIVILEGE AND HONOUR
“It’s an unbelievable privilege and honour. I’ve been on tour before, so I’ve got the opportunity to know how they do things and the structures. But it is really a massive moment for me, for my family - a really emotional moment. Hopefully Saturday can happen sooner than later,” he told Supersport.com
“It means a lot to my family. My father, my uncles, they all played representative rugby and for me to be the first in the professional era, is a massive privilege and an honour. For me to carry that legacy is an honour and hopefully something that I can make them really proud of.”
The family are synonymous with the Paarl and Vineyards Rugby Club and their achievements started in the 1940s when Naeem and Abbas Moerat, two cousins of Moerat, were selected for the Western Province League side and later the national side.
It began a legacy of uncles, cousins, sons and brothers that dominated rugby in the area for decades to come. Yusuf Moerat received his national colours in the 1950s while Achmat ‘Broertjie’ Abrahams was part of the 1964 Proteas team along with his cousin Ebrahim Moerat.
Closer to home, Nazeem Moerat, Salmaan’s father, represented the South African Rugby Union side and played for both Boland and Western Province in his career. Nazeem was capped in 1984 and 85, and along with family members Ghalieb and Hashiem Hendricks, they represented the SARU team at the time.
The unification of rugby and commitment to a non-racial structure was part of the reason so many family members were finally honoured with post-career Springbok blazers. But the likelihood is that the family would have preferred the honours to come while they were playing, rather than post-career.
FULFILLING THE LEGACY
Given this history, Moerat is the epitome of fulfilling the legacy of his family, having already captained the SA Schools and SA under-20s.
It isn’t surprising that his provincial coach, John Dobson, made him captain at the Stormers and knows just how much it means in the Cape community.
“Salmaan is a natural leader - he’s been a leader his entire life, at school level, SA under-20 and the likes. He has a real presence in all of those groups. He has real stature, everyone looks up to him,” Dobson says.
“And he walks the talk. He is a good leader, very professional, very disciplined - a classic four lock, even though he is learning to be a five, and he will get there. But he likes moving bodies and stopping bodies.
“I think he is quite powerful, he represents the entire Paarl rugby community - his family are legends of Paarl rugby in the old SARU and he is a hero of Paarl Boys’ High.
“The way he conducts himself, his maturity, the way he handles his religious beliefs, especially as it is a minority belief in the rugby environment and his discipline around his faith is something to admire.
“He is a great kid to coach. Just so chuffed he decided to stay with us in South Africa.”
FATHER’S INFLUENCE
Moerat has spoken of his father Nazeem’s influence on his career before. In an interview back in 2016, he credited his father as his inspiration.
"I don't think I needed much inspiration to start playing rugby because I grew up in a family that loves rugby. With my father, Nazeem Moerat, playing rugby himself for SARU in the Apartheid era, I have always looked up to him and I guess that is where my love for rugby started,” he told rugby365 at the time.
"I remember the days when my father would spend hours with me at the field when I was a young boy, teaching me the game and my mother for her endless support. My parents have sacrificed so much for me to be where I am today.”
In a way, it feels like the circle has now been completed for Moerat as he steps up to lead his country. If ever there was a fitting moment and a player made for the occasion it is him.
And on Saturday when he runs onto the Bloemfontein pitch, there will be an entire Cape Community smiling with pride that he made it.