‘Historic’: Salmaan Moerat’s wife on him being first Muslim Boks captain
Salmaan Moerat’s friends and family – including wife Haanim – are celebrating his appointment as the first Muslim Springboks captain.
Salmaan Moerat’s family and friends – including his wife Haanim – are celebrating Rassie Erasmus’s “historic” appointment of him as the first Muslim Springboks captain.
The 26-year-old rugby player – who also captains the Stormers – will lead the national squad in their game against Portugal on Saturday, 20 July.
The match will take place at the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein.
FIRST MUSLIM BOKS CAPTAIN TO PLAY THIS WEEKEND
On Tuesday, 16 July, Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus announced a new-look squad featuring several new faces.
They are Phepsi Buthelezi, Johan Grobbelaar, and Jan-Hendrik Wessels, who will make the starting squad, while Andre-Hugo Venter, Ruan Venter, Morne van den Berg, and Quan Horn will make the replacement bench.
Rassie’s announcement also included the news that Salmaan Moerat would captain the squad.
He said in a media briefing: “Salmaan commands respect from his teammates. We’d like to congratulate him on this achievement. 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.”
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In several Instagram Stories, Salmaan Moerat’s wife Haanim acknowledged that her partner would become the first Muslim Springboks captain.
“Historic! All praise to the Most High”, she posted.
Salmaan has often spoken of his faith and how it relates to him as a professional sportsman.
Last year, the young player undertook the Islamic pilgrimage called Umrah after he suffered a pectoral injury. The pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia required him to shave off his head.
He posted on Instagram: “When the injury happened, I was really torn between acceptance and mourning. I think, for the most part, I was trying to convince myself I was ok. But then, when booking and confirming our Umrah, I came to the realization that this injury was a dua [prayer] answered. It has always been a longing of mine to complete an Umrah during the Holy Month of Ramadan. And inshallah that will shortly become a reality – all because of this injury”.
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WHEN DID SALMAAN MOERAT JOIN THE SPRINGBOKS?
Salmaan Moerat’s appointment to captaincy has certainly raised eyebrows, considering that he has fewer than ten caps as a Springboks player.
Salmaan debuted for the Boks in 2022 and made two appearances that year.
He was called up again in 2024 when the Boks played Wales in Twickenham in June and featured in the squad that played Ireland in both Pretoria and Durban earlier this month.
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