‘This will end too’ – How Nyakane’s Cup heartache helps him deal with Covid-19

When the Vodacom Bulls went into self-isolation upon their return from Australia last month, shortly after Super Rugby was indefinitely suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic, one man was already mentally primed.

Trevor Nyakane’s season-ending calf injury was one of the very few negative stories to emerge from the Springboks’ momentous World Cup win in Japan last year.

The 30-year-old tighthead prop had been on the crest of a wave, earning rave reviews as South Africa’s form front-row man during the season.

ALSO READ: WATCH: Trevor Nyakane on baby duty at the cricket!

Cruelly denied a shot at glory, Nyakane needed to find the right mindset.

“I’d worked so hard for that opportunity, and then I was given that chance to live my dream in the Rugby World Cup. To be injured in the first game was tough,” the Bulls vice-captain told The Citizen.

“With my injury, I tried to focus on the positives. My daughter (Skylar) had just been born, so I could spend time with her and be there as a father. It gives you a sense of understanding what life can be like after rugby. In our sport, things can change in the blink of an eye. It doesn’t last forever and you need to plan for that.”

============================

What Nyakane’s up to during lockdown

He’s watching lots of kiddies and wife programming:

Hey, I’m not happy about it but what can I do? But I did watch a few of my own movies, and I loved the Brooklyn 99 series on Netflix.

You won’t find him completing too many DIY tasks:

I’m not that guy. I’ll maybe hang a picture here and there, and I fixed some of my exercise machines. I’ll fix a cupboard or something, but only if it really annoys my wife. If it doesn’t annoy her, then I won’t look at it.

=============================

In many ways, the pandemic’s disruptive nature is far more serious to a player’s psyche than injury.

Many more livelihoods are now at stake as various sporting codes battle for financial viability.

But Nyakane’s setback last year grants him the type of wisdom that makes him handle Covid-19’s uncertainty with aplomb.

“To people who thought this was their time, and they had plans for 2020 that have now been stopped, that’s sad. But in this case, it’s not just a setback for you. It’s a setback for everyone in the world.

“And it’s also important to remember that this will end. When it does you need to be ready and prepared. Your time hasn’t passed. Just be patient and keep fine-tuning what you were working on, and then you can hit the ground running when it all ends.”

When things – whenever that may be – return to normal again, Nyakane is likely to be a key member of new Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber’s squad.

But that will entail being in tip-top shape, a challenge made tougher by every player’s complete lack of match fitness currently due to the suspension of competitive play.

Nyakane is so determined to compensate for that void that he’s even now using gym equipment that he previously avoided as intently as the most diligent social-distancer avoids people at the moment.

“The air bike. I never looked its way whenever I was at Loftus, but I need it now,” he said with a chuckle.

“Our fitness coach has sent us a few programmes, and two days before the lockdown we went to our gym and could loan some equipment. A few of the guys took Watt bikes or weights or medicine balls. I’m doing a lot of bodyweight exercises such as core and elastic band work. Fortunately, my wife enjoys exercising as well so she joins me, and our baby daughter sits in the stroller and watches us.”

For more sport your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.