It seems a bit of a push if you look at him now, but once upon a time, Springbok and Sharks prop Trevor Nyakane was a sevens player.
He was reminded of this in a press conference on Wednesday ahead of his team’s visit to the Bulls on Saturday (5pm kick-off), and he was typically amusing in his answer.
“Haha, that was when I was at school at Ben Vorster (in Limpopo), but then my appetite got going, and I started to eat. I also hit the gym, and as I got bigger, the chance of the Blitzboks knocking on my door diminished,” he said with his trademark ear-to-ear grin.
So, it was the front row for the roly-poly prop, and after 68 Tests for South Africa, you could say it has worked out just fine for him.
Nyakane turns 36 this year, and he will need all his experience on Saturday when he has to inspire a pack of youngsters at his old stomping ground.
The Sharks will take a depleted pack to Loftus Versfeld, and they will be up against rampant Bulls opponents. In their last two games, the Pretoria forwards have humbled both the Lions and the Stormers, but Nyakane is typically optimistic.
“They are very strong when it comes to scrummaging and forward play,” he said.
“You can see that from the last few weeks. I played there for a couple of years, and I know that they pride themselves in forward dominance and physicality.
“But we play the game to measure ourselves against the best when it comes to specific things. That is why we have to stand up and show our character.
“It will be very tough, but we have put things in place. We are not going up there to lie down and accept that we will be defeated.”
Nyakane said it would be a trap for him to try and make a personal statement against his former teammates.
“I know the Bulls guys well. We trained against each other for years, but while you might know what you need to know about your opponents, there are different scrumming systems at different unions.
“I know what is coming, and it won’t be easy because the Bulls are good at what they do, but we have to focus on our system and what we want to achieve.
“You can’t try and do something individually. That is the worst thing to do because scrumming is an eight-man job, and you have to stick to the system. If you step out of the system and do your own thing, you will get punished.”
Nyakane added that any game between South African teams is personal for the team as an entity.
“Every South African derby is personal. It is personal for the Bulls when they play the Stormers and the Lions. The games always have an extra edge, and you have to get into the right mindset, which is to be physically present and focused on doing what you do well.”
Nyakane added that he still has some mileage on the clock, and has no plans to hang up his boots.
“I feel I still have something to offer,” he smiled. “I feel I can go to age 38, and then I will reassess.
“The body is doing well. I was fortunate not to have had many injuries. I still enjoy the game, so there is no reason to give up. I am still keeping up with the youngsters.”