Marais hails Nyakane showing

Editor

Bulls head coach Nollis Marais hailed Trevor Nyakane’s performance in the wake of their 26-13 win over the Jaguares at the weekend.

It was only the second win of the season for the Pretoria-based side who have really struggled this season.

Marais was relieved with the win, especially as his job appeared to be on the line after a terrible tour of New Zealand.

The 45-year-old tactician made special mention of Nyakane, who has made the not-so-easy change from loosehead to tighthead in the front row.

Nyakane won three crucial turnovers and also covered a lot of ground, making an impressive 13 tackles in the rare win at Loftus on the weekend.

“I feel Trevor had one of his best performances in the scrums and also on defence,” Marais told rugby365.com.

“He made a huge impact on the team.

“A player of Trevor’s calibre you don’t find everywhere. I have huge respect for him.

“A lot of people said he won’t be able to convert to tighthead. He was up against one of the best scrums [in Super Rugby] and was really brilliant.

“All credit to him, Pierre [Schoeman], Lizo [Gqoboka] and Martin Dreyer.”