Trevor Ntando Nyakane (born 4 May 1989) is a South African professional rugby union player who currently plays for Racing 92 in the French Top14, 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]
School 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.
Career
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Nyakane currently represents Racing 92. 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.
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 Black the greatest beating in modern day rugby history 35 to 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.
