JOHANNESBURG: Prop Trevor Nyakane has been dumped from the South Africa squad for missing flights and a video session, the national rugby union announced yesterday.
A statement said the 24-year-old forward would miss the trip to Argentina for a Rugby Championship match on August 24 because of “repeated breaches of team protocol”.
And a tweet from the official Springbok rugby account shed greater light: “No great scandal folks. Breach of protocol in Trevor’s case means missing flights and video session.”
Nyakane was among 30 players chosen for home and away Tests against the Pumas at the start of the annual southern hemisphere rugby championship that includes title-holders New Zealand and Australia.
But the prop from Bloemfontein-based Super 15 outfit the Cheetahs did not make the matchday 23 in the 73-13 rout of Argentina at Soccer City stadium in Soweto this weekend.
The 118-kilogram forward rose to prominence as an second-half impact player for his province and won his first Springboks cap against Italy last June as a replacement.
Nyakane also came off the bench against Scotland and Samoa in other four-nation tournament games and is considered a long-term challenger to tighthead incumbent Jannie du Plessis.
Coach Heyenke Meyer has replaced Nyakane with uncapped Lourens Adriaanse while Piet van Zyl takes the place of unavailable scrum-half Fourie du Preez. AFP
