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- Jake White has reiterated that there are no sinister motives behind his decision not to give Trevor Nyakane a formal leadership role on his Bulls team.
- The former Springbok coach argues that Pilar Nyakane’s position makes it “logistically” difficult to be captain during a game as well.
- Instead, Nyakane remains a leader among the playing group and also in his technical area.
Jake white insists Trevor nyakane It hardly bothers him that he wasn’t named captain of the Bulls under his new regime.
The 31-year-old Springbok tighthead had been installed as the team’s vice captain for the truncated Super Rugby campaign earlier this year, even graduating for the title role after Burger Odendaal’s injury.
But the franchise’s director of rugby has decided to take a different path with Duane Vermeulen in the hot seat and Gio Aplon and Arno Botha as his alternates.
“You’ll soon realize that this is not a big deal for Trevor,” White said, before the Bulls’ meeting with the Sharks on Super Fan Saturday at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
“He’s a real team boy. He knows he was vice-captain and even stage captain this year. More than anything, he understands that we have a captain in Duane who has also been a Springbok skipper. It’s not about having to become captain for him, being in command. He just wants to be part of the team and is happy to contribute. “
One of the biggest reasons White took this route is based on practicality.
As the leader of the line, it is also “logistically” difficult for Nyakane to really dive into a leadership role in the heat of the action, as a player at the fullback position.
“Sometimes it’s difficult for a pillar to make decisions on the field and feel like they can have a substantial stake in the game (in that sense),” White said.
“It’s not that we don’t value Trevor’s leadership for a minute.”
Indeed, his rise to become the Springboks’ first-choice header in 2019, before his cruel injury setback before the World Cup campaign, means that Nyakane may still be a leader in his own domain, the capo among the Bulls’ props
“Trevor still has an area that he’s in charge,” White said.
“He continues to be one of the leaders of our larger group and he will be very important in terms of the amount of energy and enthusiasm that he gives us. It is very positive.”
