Canan Moodie still pinching himself as World Cup dream becomes a reality

A buzzing Canan Moodie admits it is slowly sinking in that he is in France and getting ready to participate in his first Rugby World Cup tournament.

The 20-year-old has been beaming ever since the Boks arrived in Toulon, where they will be based in the lead-up to Sunday's Rugby World Cup opener against Scotland

Moodie admitted the reality of being in the Springbok RWC squad had yet to set in fully, but he was relishing every moment of being with the team in France for the biggest tournament of his young career.

"It's slowly starting to set in what a dream come true it is to be here," said Moodie.

"In 2019 I was still in school watching these guys win the World Cup, and now I get to wear the kit with the 2019 winner's badge on it. So, it's very special and I'm very fortunate to be here.

"The long wait is over and in less than a week we get started with the competition."

Moodie said the squad's preparations for the tournament had put them in the best possible place to hone in on the preparations for Scotland, which will ramp-up on Tuesday when the Springboks have their first field training session in Toulon.

"We did everything we could in Corsica to ensure that we could hit the ground running here in Toulon, and the conditions were pretty tough, but it's what we expect this side as well," said Moodie. "All in all, we are well prepared in terms of what we are expecting in the World Cup."

Moodie expected a tough tussle against Scotland in Marseille on Sunday and said they would give everything to get their campaign off to a strong start.

"Every game is important, especially in a pool as tough as ours," said Moodie. "We are starting off against Scotland and it's a very important game in our campaign because we want to start off well.

"We've been preparing the whole year for this, and with all the matches and preparation leading into this, I think we'll be ready for Sunday."

Moodie's team-mate and fellow wing Cheslin Kolbe was also delighted to be in Toulon - a place he admitted was particularly special for him after becoming one of the stars of the club in the recent past.

"It was unreal approaching Toulon by ferry," said Kolbe.

"I'm happy to be back here. It's a special place. I was here for two years, and I made unbelievable memories in that time, so it's good to be back here with the Boks."

Kolbe admitted that while there were big expectations of the team, the players were focused simply on what they had to do on the field.

"There's a lot of excitement in the group," said Kolbe. "There will always be expectations from the public. But we won four years ago and if we want to replicate that, it will take a lot of hard work, commitment and sacrifices from each one of us. There is pressure of course, but we see it as positive pressure.

"For us, we just have to prepare as well as we can and buy into the plan, and ensure we follow through with that from the first game."

READ MORE: Kolbe: World Cup opener against Scotland like 'a final for us'