Nyakane: It's personal for me

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Springbok prop Trevor Nyakane is cracking his knuckles in anticipation of a “massive challenge” when the Sharks engage with the Vodacom Bulls heavyweight set piece at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

“I know moves of theirs and they know things about me,” the 68-Test Bok veteran said at a press conference on Wednesday. “I know what is coming. It’s not going to be easy, because they are really good … It is personal for me, but I think for the Bulls it is just as personal playing the Sharks, Lions or Stormers.

“South African derbies are always personal.”

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Nyakane joined the Bulls in 2015 after making more than 80 appearances for Free State between 2010 and 2014, and he made nearly 100 appearances for the Herd before accepting an offer to sign for Top 14 side Racing 92 in 2022. After two years in France, the Bok bruiser returned to the Republic to join the Sharks in 2024.

“The guys that are playing at the Bulls are guys I played with during my time there,” Nyakane added. “We trained against each other for years, we know each other well. They’re a very strong outfit when it comes to scrummaging and forward play. You can see that by their results and how they have been performing over the past few weeks.

“It’s going to be a massive challenge for us up there at Loftus. I played there for a couple of years and I know that the Bulls pride themselves on forward dominance and physicality. It’s going to be tough, but that’s why we play the game. We play to face the best. Their scrum and maul are really good, but that’s where we need to stand up and show our character.”

The Sharks are depleted by an injury list that includes Eben Etzebeth, Andre Esterhuizen, Ox Nche and Aphelele Fassi, while speedster Makazole Mapimpi is suspended for the trip to Loftus.

“It’s the nature of the game,” Nyakane said. “You are not going to have everyone in the squad available every week. You have to learn to adapt around that. The pressure is always there even when the Springboks aren’t there.

“It’s about working hard and producing what the coaches expect of us. The boys who have come in are stepping up, and they are showing they’re hungry to make their mark.

“The energy they are injecting into the sessions is really infectious, especially for the older guys.”

Photo: Steve Haag/Gallo Images

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