Springbok prop Trevor Nyakane has identified a potential weakness in France’s game despite their recent Six Nations triumph.
He’s warned that their once-dominant scrum has lost its edge.
France powered to the title with four wins, sealing the trophy in dramatic fashion with a last-gasp victory over England. But for Nyakane, watching from the sidelines as he recovers from a ruptured Achilles, one detail stood out.
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“Myself and Bongi [Mbonambi], as we were sitting and watching, we actually looked at them [and said] the French actually miss Uini Atonio,” he told the For The Love Of Rugby podcast.
The experienced scrum specialist believes the absence of Uini Atonio has significantly blunted one of France’s most feared weapons.
“They really miss that guy right now because their scrum is not the same anymore. And it used to be such a devastating weapon.
“We all knew that if you get into a scrum battle with those guys, they can take it to a dark place.
“And I saw a bit of vulnerability there. And I think if teams are to analyse it properly and actually try to take them on there, I think there’ room for this opportunity that you can really exploit them.”
France’s campaign was anything but straightforward. While they opened with an impressive win over Ireland and ran up big scores against Wales and Italy, their defensive frailties were exposed in a high-scoring loss to Scotland.
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Nyakane currently plies his trade with the Sharks but knows the French game well after spending two seasons with Parisian club Racing 92 between 2022 and 2024.
Photo: Franco Arland / Getty Images
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