945 men have represented the Springboks over 133 years. Salmaan Moerat is a unicorn among them all.
Last July, he became the first Muslim captain to captain South Africa when he led the team against Portugal in Bloemfontein. This alone makes him unique, but his faith is only one strand of his story.
He is also a Colored, a distinct ethnic and cultural group in South Africa that includes people of mixed race and Malay origin. There were others too. Errol Tobias and Avril Williams laid the foundation during apartheid before Chester Williams carried the flag in 1995.
Breyton Paulse, Bryan Habana and Cheslin Kolbe were among those who put in stellar performances. Juan de Jongh, Damian Willemse and Manie Libbok pulled the strings in midfield. But few have bulldozed the tight five. Hilton Lobberts, Quinton Davids, Marvin Orie and now Moerat stand 2m (6ft 7in) tall, weigh over 115kg (18st) and stand like giant sequoias in an acacia forest.
But these ancestors are not descended from a rugby dynasty. The name Moerat is a legend and young Salmaan grew up in a house steeped in heritage. His father, Nazeem, represented the non-racial South African Rugby Union in the 1980s and is one of 10 family members to receive an overdue Springboks blazer in recognition of his work against an unequal society. Despite the injustices they endured, despite some of the bitterness that can harden a petty heart, this family rose above the odds and developed a passion for oval balls.
Moerat says of her family’s struggles: “It motivated me and made me work harder,” says Moerat. “It’s exemplary that they enjoyed the game despite the circumstances.”
Perhaps this is why Moerat broke the mold and weighed in on a politically divisive topic when Israel began dropping bombs on children in Gaza in response to Hamas terrorist attacks in October 2023.
Never has a South African rugby player been seen quite like Moerat, from any angle or in any narrative context.
“As a leader and a South African, it is my moral duty to clearly express my support for the Palestinian people,” he wrote on Instagram shortly after the violence. “I know that my voice, no matter how small, can potentially have a positive impact.” His post garnered both outrage and support. Whatever your views on the geopolitics of this divided world, this young man with so much to lose deserves credit for sticking his head above the parapet and calling for justice.
Never has a South African rugby player been seen quite like Moerat, from any angle or in any narrative context. Representing a minority community and a legendary lineage, the politically engaged giant has a soft-spoken voice and has shown not only leadership credentials but enough ability to break into the most competitive space in world rugby.
With 10 Test caps under his belt at the same age as Eben Etzebeth, RG Snyman, Franco Mostert, Lood de Jager, Jean Kleyn and Ruan Nortje, the 26-year-old will be very useful around the park. Also, skippering a team that includes Pieter-Steph du Toit and Lukhanyo Am, as he did against Australia in August, amplifies the point. Has the person himself ever stopped and thought about what a rare breed he is?
“Not really.” He snapped back toward the end of the extensive interview. “I don’t really think about it.” Like a brave flanker wandering around looking for a loose ball, I’ll have to find another way.
We’re talking about the preparations for the Stormers’ Champions Cup match against Harlequins at The Stoop in Twickenham last month. Our conversation begins with general topics. Moera, who captained the team in the miserable 53-16 defeat in west London, ticked all the boxes. He said he was “excited to be playing” again after missing two months with a knee injury. He assured that the South African franchise was taking “clearly the best (club) competition in the world” seriously. Despite “disrupted” preparations and travel, the Stormers, Sharks and Bulls are all hoping to win major prizes in Cardiff in May.
Results and performance suggest otherwise. Before this weekend’s Champions Cup third round, the Stormers were bottom of their group with two losses and the fourth-lowest point differential in the tournament. Nonetheless, 2024 was still an incredible year for Moerat. He wears the Stormers captain’s hat, but his tone immediately changes when we turn our attention to more interesting topics.
“To put it simply, this year has been a dream.” He reflects on the time when he unexpectedly became a father in September, two months after becoming the Boks’ 66th skipper. “It’s probably one of the best years of my life.”
Moerat and the rest of the squad arrived in Bloemfontein in July, a week before the Portugal Test. The game’s team sheet was pinned to the wall and had the letter ‘C’ next to Moerat’s name. He thought it was a typo.
When I found out my parents were so emotional… For the first two minutes of the phone call, all I did was try to calm my mom down. She was crying and couldn’t say anything. The same goes for my dad.
“I thought, ‘Surely this can’t be real,’” he recalls. “I had absolutely no idea. No one gave me a heads up. I was really surprised. Any player would aspire to be captain of the Springboks, but until it actually happens, they don’t think it’s possible. It’s something I dream about but can’t imagine. You work hard and do your best to get there, but it’s not real until you actually get there.
“I couldn’t tell my parents because they obviously couldn’t keep quiet, so I had to wait until the team announcement came out on Wednesday. I wanted to tell them in my heart. But if that had happened, all of Cape Town would have known.
“My parents were so emotional when they found out. I remember that phone call. It was so sweet. For the first two minutes of the phone call, all I did was try to calm my mom down. She was crying and couldn’t say anything. The same goes for my dad. All he could do was keep telling me how happy he was for me. How proud he was of me. “He kept saying that for two minutes.”
It didn’t take long for Moerat to recognize that something much bigger than personal ambition and family pride was going on. During a brief moment of quiet reflection between training sessions, strategy meetings and backslapping from supportive teammates, he explained the wider implications of this event.
“There is a certain level of responsibility attached to players of color playing rugby in South Africa,” he explains. “People look at you and want you to succeed. Especially if your family also plays rugby, there is added responsibility and expectation on your shoulders.
“I don’t think I really processed the magnitude of that moment. But it leaves you speechless when you think about becoming the first Muslim captain in Springboks history. I get back to the accountability part of it. Being the first Muslim Springbok captain only matters if I do my job well and do what needs to be done. I must be an example and pave the way for others to follow. I can’t just be the first and the last.”
According to a 2022 survey, 89% of Afrikaans consider themselves Christians, and the Dutch Reformed Church is the largest Christian denomination in the country. During apartheid, rugby was co-opted by the socially and religiously conservative National Party, and this association survived their regime. When the final whistle blew at the 1995 World Cup in South Africa, captain Francois Pienaar knelt and led his team in prayer. Today, Kolisi, du Toit, Kolbe and other prominent players sport Christian iconography on match days and mention their faith when accepting awards or giving interviews.
I practice my religion openly and everyone accepts it. I have never felt like I had to hide or be exposed to secrets and have always felt confident in who I am.
Moerat has never felt like an outsider. He doesn’t drink beer after matches and admits “there’s a bit of a drinking culture in rugby, not just in South Africa”, but insists the game itself acts as a unifier.
“I practice my religion openly and everyone accepts it,” he says. “I’ve never felt like I had to hide anything or keep a secret. I have always felt confident in who I am. Previously, during my first two seasons at the Stormers, our team managers Siya Kolisi and Damian Willemse both went to the mosque with me on Fridays. I couldn’t believe it. It was so special to see. I will never preach or do anything. “It’s a really welcoming space.”
Growing up in the wine region of Paarl, about 50km northeast of Cape Town, Moerat has deep roots in his community. Like his father and uncles, he first picked up a ball at the Vineyards Rugby Club. Vineyards Rugby Club serves as an early stepping stone as well as a haven for many children in the area. “So many children don’t eat other foods,” explains Moerat. “They use the club to get through life.”
But Moerat wanted none of it, as his generous size suggests. By the age of 13, he was already over 100kg and trampling much smaller tacklers. “It was difficult to move around the site. I can tell you that. But at that age, my height was a big advantage. “Then rugby might have been easier back then.”
His height soon caught the eye of scouts and he represented Boland at provincial U-13 tournaments. From there, he won a full scholarship to Paarl Boys’ High School, the alma mater of 20 Springboks including Corne Krige, Thomas du Toit and Frans Malherbe. His success was spectacular and he went on to become captain of the Junior Springboks and South African Schools teams. Western Province and Stormers call-ups followed and he earned his first Springboks cap against Wales in Pretoria in July 2022.
Of course he wants more, but he recognizes that he is competing with the best in the business. “We’ve been really blessed with great depth,” he says of other South African locks in this generational cohort. “To rub shoulders with those guys and play on the same team is a win for me. “You have to grab the opportunity when it comes.”
But rugby is only one strand of this unicorn’s story. He blazed trails and broke down cultural barriers. He fulfilled his family’s aspirations and set an example for millions to follow. It matters little whether he goes on to become a Springboks legend or whether he fails to make nine Test appearances. His legacy was secured.
“At the end of the day, rugby is a part of us, not us,” he adds. “There’s always a bigger picture.”
