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Boks must grab their chances against Wales, says Nyakane
"It’s going to be a hard physical game and it will come down to who takes the opportunity when it’s there."
Trevor Nyakane will turn out in the Springbok front row against Wales this weekend. Picture: Getty Images
Springbok prop Trevor Nyakane is relishing the chance to face Wales again after he missed out on the Boks’ previous clash against them through injury in the 2019 World Cup semifinals, and he will be looking to put in a big performance against them in Cardiff on Saturday.
It is set to be a game of small margins, with the team that best identifies and takes their opportunities on the day most likely to emerge victorious, in what should be another thrilling encounter at the Principality Stadium.
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“When it comes to international rugby you’re not going to get a lot of opportunities to just run the ball or freely score tries, so for us it’s going to be a hard physical game and will come down to who takes the opportunity when it’s there,” explained Nyakane.
“So it’s going to be a tough one. Patience is going to be needed.”
Wales will be missing a number of regular starters for this weekend’s match through injury, including inspirational captain Alun Wyn Jones and key players like Liam Williams, Ken Owens, George North and Justin Tipuric, while question marks remain over the availability of Taulupe Faletau.
But they will also be boosted by the return of English based players Louis Rees-Zammit, Dan Biggar, Nick Tompkins, Callum Sheedy, Thomas Young and Christ Tshiunza who were all unavailable for last week’s heavy loss against the All Blacks that fell outside the Test window.
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“Wales is a quality side. I don’t think it matters much who is not available because whoever comes in is going to bring it and it’s not going to get any easier,” said Nyakane.
“I know for sure they have picked the right squad for them and put in the right replacements, so it’s going to be a tough game.
“We don’t read into what happened the past weekend. We want to focus on what we are good at. This is international rugby and they are going to come out firing, so we have to be ready for that.”
