South African rugby will break new ground on Saturday in Bloemfontein when the Springboks will be captained by a Muslim for the first time in the form of Salmaan Moerat.
The 26-year-old Stormer will lead the Boks in their first-ever match against Portugal.
For this historic Test, Moerat takes over from Siya Kolisi, who in 2018 became the first black African to captain South Africa.
The news has been celebrated in the Muslim community and Moerat’s wife, Haanim, has shared her joy in several posts on social media.
In one, she said: “Historic! All praise to the Most High.”
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus said he had no hesitation in handing the leadership reins to Moerat.
“Salmaan commands respect from his teammates. We’d like to congratulate him on this achievement. We do not doubt that he’ll take on this responsibility as successfully as has been the case with the other teams he has led.”
Erasmus pointed to the towering lock’s history of captaining top rugby teams.
“Salmaan has come through the South African rugby ranks. He captained the SA Schools team, the Junior Springboks as well as Western Province and the Stormers. That speaks volumes about his quality as a player and a captain.
“The Stormers were playing away at Munster. He was the 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 (on WhatsApp) 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.”
Moerat was schooled at Paarl Boys’ High, and the town is thrilled at the honour bestowed on one of their favourite sons.
The Paarl Muslim Jamaa said in a statement: “We would like to congratulate Salmaan Moerat, who will take over the Springbok captaincy for the first time when he leads a squad featuring seven uncapped players against Portugal.
“Salmaan will become the first Muslim to captain the Springboks. We would like to congratulate Salmaan and his family for this remarkable achievement. We wish you all the best.”
Moerat is open about his faith and how it assists him as a professional rugby player.
Last year, he undertook the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia after he suffered a serious chest muscle injury when playing for the Stormers.
He posted on Instagram at the time: “When the injury happened, I was torn between acceptance and mourning. I think, for the most part, I was trying to convince myself I was okay.
“But then, when booking and confirming our Umrah, I realised that this injury was a du’ah (prayer) answered. It has always been a longing of mine to complete an Umrah during the Holy Month of Ramadaan. And Insha-Allah that will shortly become a reality – all because of this injury”.
The 2m tall, 116kg forward first played for the Boks in 2022. His pectoral injury prevented him from featuring at last year’s World Cup, but he was selected for the Boks’ opening game of this year’s international season, the big defeat of Wales in London in June. He also played in the recent series against Ireland.
Moerat’s latest honour is the pinnacle achievement of a famous Paarl rugby family. In the apartheid era, his father Nazeem played for the non-racial South African Rugby Union (Saru) team.
Several of Nazeem’s siblings and cousins received Saru and provincial colours for Boland and Western Province.
Incredibly, they all played for the revered Vineyards Rugby Club in Paarl, started by Moutie Moerat and his brother-in-law Esa Abrahams in 1944.
Before Salmaan, the latest Moerat who played at a high level was his cousin Ebrahim Moerat, a hooker, who was part of the South African Under-21 side at the 2003 Junior World Cup, coached by Jake White.
Salmaan’s cousin, Thaakir Abrahams, played for the Sharks (2020-2023) before moving to Lyon (France), and has recently joined Irish giants Munster.
Salmaan Moerat's family has a proud history in South African rugby 🇿![CDATA[]]>🇦![CDATA[]]>🏉 pic.twitter.com/VRG54eVP6s
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) July 16, 2024