Trevor Nyakane

Trevor Ntando Nyakane (born 4 May 1989) is a South African professional rugby union player who currently plays for the Sharks in the United Rugby Championship and also the South Africa national rugby team, His regular playing position is prop and he has the ability to play at both loosehead and tighthead.^[1]

Trevor Nyakane

Nyakane in 2017
Full name	Trevor Ntando Nyakane
Date of birth	(1989-05-04) 4 May 1989 (age 36)
Place of birth	Bushbuckridge, South Africa
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	121 kg (267 lb; 19 st 1 lb)
School	Hoërskool Ben Vorster
Rugby union career
Position(s) Prop Current team Sharks Youth career 2005–2007 Limpopo Blue Bulls 2008–2010 Free State Cheetahs Amateur team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) 2011–2012 CUT Ixias () Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) 2010–2014 Free State Cheetahs 38 (10) 2011 Emerging Cheetahs 1 (0) 2011 → Griffons 1 (0) 2012–2014 Cheetahs 42 (15) 2015–2021 Bulls 82 (0) 2018–2021 Blue Bulls 10 (0) 2022-2024 Racing 92 57 (10) 2024- Sharks 6 () Correct as of 9 August 2022 International career Years Team Apps (Points) 2007 S.A. Schools Academy 2013–present South Africa 64 (5) 2015 Springboks 1 (0) 2016 Springbok XV 1 (0) 2017 South Africa A 2 (0) Correct as of 9 August 2022
Medal record Men's Rugby 15's Representing  South Africa Rugby World Cup 2015 England Squad 2019 Japan Squad 2023 France Squad

Early career

Nyakane attended school in Limpopo top rugby school Ben Vorster where he played for the first team for two years. He was chosen to represent Limpopo at the Grant Khomo, and Craven Weeks tournaments in 2006 and 2007.^{[citation needed]}

Professional career

Nyakane currently represents the Sharks. He has amassed more than 50 senior appearances in all senior competitions.^[2][3][4]

He attended his primary school in laerskool Gravelotte in Limpopo.^{[citation needed]}

International career

Nyakane was first named in the Springbok squad ahead of the 2013 mid-year rugby union tests.^[5]

He made his international debut on 8 June as a 73rd minute replacement for Tendai Mtawarira in South Africa's 44-10 victory over Italy in Durban.^[6] On 22 June 2013 he scored his first test try, against Samoa, in Pretoria. With South Africa already leading 49-23, Nyakane's 80th minute score completed a comprehensive victory.^[7]

Nyakane was named in South Africa's squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.^[8] However he had to withdraw through injury in the pool stage and was replaced by Thomas du Toit.^[9] South Africa went on to win the tournament, defeating England in the final.^[10]

Nyakane was included in the South Africa A team to face the British and Irish Lions as a warm up match. The Team was Captained by Lukhanyo Am and had other members of the 2019 World Cup winning side. The match was an exhibition match that didn't count towards a Test cap, but was won by the South African A side.

Nyakane started at tighthead prop for the opening test of the 2021 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa. Injury to Ox Nché in that first test led Nyakane to switch roles to become the replacement loosehead prop for the subsequent two tests of the series. Despite not having played at loosehead prop for the Springboks since 2016, Nyakane's scrummaging earned the Springboks a number of crucial scrum penalties in the later half of the remaining games which saw the South Africans winning the series.^[11]

Nyakane was also part of the Bomb Squad in the 2019 World Cup based on the 6/2 split of the bench and in 2023 was also an inaugural member of the Nuke Squad based on a 7/1 split of the bench when the Springboks gave the All Blacks their worst loss in modern day rugby history 35-7 at Twickenham, just before the 2023 World Cup. The test was billed as Qatar Airways Cup

Trevor played a number of matches in the 2023 Rugby World Cup as well as the final.

Honours

• Currie Cup 2020–21 - Winner
• 2015 Rugby World Cup - third place bronze medalist
• 2019 Rugby Championship - Winner
• 2019 Rugby World Cup Japan - Winner
• 2021 South Africa A vs British and Irish Lions (warm up match) - Winner
• 2021 British and Irish Lions Series Tour - Winner
• 2023 Qatar Airways Cup at Twickenham vs New Zealand - Winner
• 2023 Rugby World Cup - Winner
• Currie Cup 2024 - Winner

Springbok statistics

Test Match Record

As of 8 October 2021

Against	P	W	D	L	Tri	Pts	%Won
Argentina	9	8	0	1	0	0	88.89
Australia	7	2	2	3	0	0	42.86
British and Irish Lions	3	2	0	1	0	0	66.67
England	1	1	0	0	0	0	100
France	1	1	0	0	0	0	100
Georgia	1	1	0	0	0	0	100
Ireland	3	1	0	2	0	0	33.33
Italy	4	3	0	1	0	0	75
Japan	2	1	0	1	0	0	50
New Zealand	10	2	1	7	0	0	25
Samoa	2	2	0	0	1	5	100
Scotland	3	3	0	0	0	0	100
United States	1	1	0	0	0	0	100
Wales	4	1	0	3	0	0	25
Total	51	29	3	19	1	5	59.8

Pld = Games Played, W = Games Won, D = Games Drawn, L = Games Lost, Tri = Tries Scored, Pts = Points Scored

International Tries

Try	Opposing team	Location	Venue	Competition	Date	Result
1	Samoa	Pretoria, South Africa	Loftus Versfeld	Mid-year rugby test series	22 June 2013	Won 56–23