Share

Marais: Nyakane will make it at tighthead

Pretoria - Bulls coach Nollis Marais has given under-fire prop Trevor Nyakane a massive vote of confidence ahead of Saturday's Super Rugby clash against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein. 

Nyakane, capped 28 times at Test level, has recently been vocal on his desire to play at tighthead prop despite having made his name as a loosehead for both the Cheetahs and the Boks. 

He was given that responsibility against the Stormers last weekend but was scrummed out of the game by JC Janse van Rensbrug at Newlands as the Bulls were blown away in the first half to lose 37-24. 

Nyakane and Bulls scrum coach Gary Botha both came under fire following that result, but while Marais has made a change at loosehead with Lizo Gqoboka replacing Pierre Schoeman, he has shown faith in Nyakane in the No 3 jersey once more. 

"I can say it’s not an issue, but if you look at the score and the set piece domination that we gave away at the weekend, obviously there is something that we need to fix," Marais said of the Bulls scrum after his team announcement on Thursday.

"It’s an issue that Gary (Botha) is working hard on and he took a lot of flak this weekend, which we accept. There are some things that we need to fix.

"I do believe Trevor will make it on tighthead. He needs a bit of confidence. He played well against the Chiefs (in pre-season).

"Trevor has played for the Boks against England and Argentina at tighthead and he can make it. If I do changes now I think the guy’s self-belief will not be there. I had a long discussion with Trevor and Gary and I think that Trevor will get better and better." 

Even Bulls captain Handre Pollard was asked to comment on Nyakane's mind-set ahead of what is a crucial clash on Saturday.

"Trevor is an experienced guy. He’s played at the highest level for many years. He knows he struggled last week and he’ll be focused for this one. I don’t need to motivate Trevor for this weekend," said Pollard.

Kick-off on Saturday is at 19:30.

Teams:

Cheetahs

15 Clayton Blommetjies, 14 Ryno Benjamin, 13 Nico Lee, 12 Clinton Swart, 11 Raymond Rhule, 10 Fred Zeilinga, 9 Tian Meyer, 8 Paul Schoeman, 7 Oupa Mohoje, 6 Uzair Cassiem, 5 Reniel Hugo, 4 Justin Basson, 3 Johan Coetzee, 2 Torsten van Jaarsveld (captain), 1 Ox Nche

Substitutes: 16 Elandre Huggett, 17 Charles Marais, 18 Danie Mienie, 19 Francois Uys, 20 Niell Jordaan, 21 Zee Mkhabela, 22 Niel Marais, 23 Ruan van Rensburg

Bulls

15 Jesse Kriel, 14 Travis Ismaiel, 13 Dries Swanepoel, 12 Burger Odendaal, 11 Jamba Ulengo, 10 Handre Pollard (captain), 9 Rudy Paige, 8 Hanro Liebenberg, 7 Jacques Potgieter, 6 Nic de Jager, 5 RG Snyman, 4 Jason Jenkins, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Jaco Visagie, 1 Lizo Gqoboka

Substitutes: 16 Edgar Marutlulle, 17 Pierre Schoeman, 18 Jacobie Adriaanse, 19 Renaldo Bothma, 20 Ruan Steenkamp, 21 Piet van Zyl, 22 Tian Schoeman, 23 Warrick Gelant

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1471 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2249 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE