Trevor Nyakane unveils new sidestep just in time for the Boks' World Cup defence
By Rugby Onslaught

Trevor Nyakane unveils new sidestep just in time for the Boks’ World Cup defence

As Jacques Nienaber and Rassie Erasmus constantly look for something to give South Africa a new edge ahead of their World Cup defence later this year, they might well have found the answer and it lies in 121kg tighthead prop Trevor Nyakane.

The Racing 92 prop was on fire on Saturday as his side hosted Toulon in the Top 14. Already with one try to his name from the first half, the 34-year-old pulled out a piece of play early in the second half that even he probably did not think he had.

After being put through a gap, the prop had about 40 metres of space to run into before meeting fullback Marius Domon. With a support player to his left, the Springbok had two options really. One was to pass to the support player, and the other was to run straight into the fullback. Being a prop, the latter seemed far more likely. But Nyakane had a third option up his sleeve.

With fire in his eyes, Nyakane shaped up to smashed straight into the 85kg fullback, but as the last second he produced a nifty left footed sidestep to try and jink around the tackler. He even braced as if he was going to bundle over Domon, only to produce a piece of footwork more akin to Springboks like Cheslin Kolbe than the front row.

OK, the step was not a success. He was still tackled by Domon, and, if anything, it only made the tackler’s life easier as he only had to tackle one leg from the side rather than having the full weight of a 120kg tighthead running directly into him. Nevertheless, this was a piece of ingenuity not expected from a prop, let alone a Springboks prop, and it is only an encouraging sign ahead of the World Cup later this year.

Take a look:

 

ADVERTISEMENT