The Pretoria-based outfit suffered a 34-28 loss but showed plenty of character as they were trailing their hosts 31-7 early in the second half, with Moodie at the forefront of the fightback.

The 22-year-old came on as an injury replacement for Sergeal Petersen in the 44th minute and delivered a brilliant attacking performance, which earned special praise from White after the match.

It was a far cry from December last year when White revealed that he told Moodie "to start staying away from the buffet" after the Springboks flyer delivered a sluggish performance during a URC victory over Connacht.

"Unbelievable. I don't want you to write anything about buffets and things anymore, please guys!" White said jokingly about Moodie. "I mean, he's got class, you know. And he's been out for a while, and to have him back, I mean, all the touches he had today were outstanding.

"And I'm happy for him, because there's an example. He went through a stage where, when he came back into the team after international rugby, people know who he is. And he played against, I mean, international wingers (Darcy Graham and Ross McCann).

"So, for him to create the space and opportunities he did, and that sort of thing, is going to give him massive amounts of confidence."

Moodie was making his return to action after sustaining a concussion in the Bulls' URC loss to the Stormers last month and combined brilliantly with Johan Goosen, who was playing in only his second match after recovering from a knee injury.

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