Yannick Nyanga
Encyclopedia
Yannick Nyanga is a professional rugby union
player who plays flanker
for Toulouse
and France
. He was a part of the victorious French team of the 2006 Six Nations Championship
.
Nyanga plays at flanker in the style of a classic carrier with explosive pace from the scrum
and excellent ability to support backs in later phases of play and good leg muscles to drive through the tackle, although being relatively light for a back row forward he can be contained in rucks and mauls by larger and more physical opposite numbers.
in France's 2004 tour of North America
, making his debut in the 39 to 31 victory over the USA in Hartford. Following his first match for France, he played against Canada
in Toronto
, which France also won, 47 points to 13.
In 2005 he established himself firmly in France's regular lineup. After holding a reserve position in France's opening wins over Scotland
and England
during the 2005 Six Nations
, he was called up into the starting lineup for the remainder of the tournament; playing Wales
, Ireland
and Italy
. France lost only the one match; against eventual winners Wales.
Following the Six Nations
he was included in France's touring squad for the mid-year. France left for South Africa
, where they played the Springboks
in a two test series; drawing the first, and losing the second. He was also capped against the Wallabies
in Brisbane
, which France also lost, 27 to 31. Following Béziers' relegation to Rugby Pro D2
, Nyanga was signed by top club the then Heineken Cup
champions Stade Toulousain for the upcoming season.
Nyanga was then capped another three times at the end of the year, in the win over Australia in Marseille
, Tonga
in Toulouse
, as well as the 50 to six victory over Canada in Nantes
, though he was partly rested, used as a reserve. He played in all of France's 2006 Six Nations
the following year, which France eventually went onto win.
Toulouse finished third on the ladder for the 2005-06 Top 14
, though they defeated Stade Français in the semi-finals to gain a place in the final. Toulouse lost the match to Biarritz
40 to 13. With consistent form, he was regarded by many pundits as an automatic selection for the French 2007 Rugby World Cup
squad, and he was indeed named to the RWC squad.
Nyanga shares the cover of the French version of the EA Sports
game Rugby 08
with All Blacks
captain Richie McCaw
.
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player who plays flanker
Flanker (rugby union)
A flanker is a position in the sport of rugby union. Flankers play in the forwards, and are generally classified as either blindside, or openside flankers; numbers six and seven respectively. The name comes from their position in a scrum in which they flank each set of forwards...
for Toulouse
Stade Toulousain
Stade Toulousain, also referred to as Toulouse, is a French rugby union club from Toulouse in Midi-Pyrénées. Toulouse is one of the finest rugby clubs in Europe, having won the Heineken Cup four times – in 1996, 2003, 2005 and 2010. They were also runners-up in 2004 and 2008 against London Wasps...
and France
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
. He was a part of the victorious French team of the 2006 Six Nations Championship
2006 Six Nations Championship
The 2006 RBS 6 Nations Championship was the seventh series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship to be held since the competition expanded in 2000 to include Italy...
.
Nyanga plays at flanker in the style of a classic carrier with explosive pace from the scrum
Scrum (rugby union)
In rugby union a scrum is a means of restarting play after a minor infringement. It involves up to eight players from each team, known as the pack or forward pack, binding together in three rows and interlocking with the free opposing teams forwards. At this point the ball is fed into the gap...
and excellent ability to support backs in later phases of play and good leg muscles to drive through the tackle, although being relatively light for a back row forward he can be contained in rucks and mauls by larger and more physical opposite numbers.
Career
Nyanga joined AS Béziers in 1998. Nyanga received his first cap for France against the USAUnited States national rugby union team
USA Rugby's men's national rugby union team, nicknamed the Eagles, represents the United States in the sport of rugby union. The Eagles are currently ranked 17th by the IRB World Rankings. Their highest ranking was from November 2, 2006 – September 10, 2007 at the 14th position...
in France's 2004 tour of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, making his debut in the 39 to 31 victory over the USA in Hartford. Following his first match for France, he played against Canada
Canada national rugby union team
The Canada national rugby union team represents Canada in international rugby union. They are governed by Rugby Canada, and play in red and black. Canada is classified by the International Rugby Board as a tier two rugby nation. There are ten tier one nations, and seven tier two nations, the...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, which France also won, 47 points to 13.
In 2005 he established himself firmly in France's regular lineup. After holding a reserve position in France's opening wins over Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
and England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
during the 2005 Six Nations
2005 Six Nations Championship
The 2005 RBS 6 Nations Championship was the sixth series of the Six Nations Championship to be held since the competition expanded in 2000 to include Italy...
, he was called up into the starting lineup for the remainder of the tournament; playing Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
, Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
and Italy
Italy national rugby union team
The Italy national rugby union team represent the nation of Italy in the sport of rugby union. The team is also known as the Azzurri . Italy have been playing international rugby since the late 1920s, and since 2000 compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland,...
. France lost only the one match; against eventual winners Wales.
Following the Six Nations
Six Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
he was included in France's touring squad for the mid-year. France left for South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, where they played the Springboks
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
in a two test series; drawing the first, and losing the second. He was also capped against the Wallabies
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, which France also lost, 27 to 31. Following Béziers' relegation to Rugby Pro D2
Rugby Pro D2
Rugby Pro D2, also known as Pro D2 is the second level of domestic club rugby union in France, below the first division, Top 14. The competition was introduced in 2000. There is relegation and promotion between both the Top 14 and Fédérale 1, the third-level competition...
, Nyanga was signed by top club the then Heineken Cup
Heineken Cup
The Heineken Cup is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from the six International Rugby Board countries in Europe whose national teams compete in the Six Nations Championship: England, France, Ireland,...
champions Stade Toulousain for the upcoming season.
Nyanga was then capped another three times at the end of the year, in the win over Australia in Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, Tonga
Tonga national rugby union team
The Tonga national rugby union team is nicknamed Ikale Tahi . Like their Polynesian neighbours, the Tongans start their matches with a war dance – the Kailao . They are members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance along with Fiji and Samoa...
in Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
, as well as the 50 to six victory over Canada in Nantes
Nantes
Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....
, though he was partly rested, used as a reserve. He played in all of France's 2006 Six Nations
2006 Six Nations Championship
The 2006 RBS 6 Nations Championship was the seventh series of the rugby union Six Nations Championship to be held since the competition expanded in 2000 to include Italy...
the following year, which France eventually went onto win.
Toulouse finished third on the ladder for the 2005-06 Top 14
2005-06 Top 14
The 2005-06 Top 14 was a French domestic rugby union club competition that ran from August 2005 to June 2006.The 2005-06 season saw attendance records broken. 79,502 spectators attended the Round 9 clash between Stade Français and Stade Toulousain at the Stade de France, shattering the attendance...
, though they defeated Stade Français in the semi-finals to gain a place in the final. Toulouse lost the match to Biarritz
Biarritz Olympique
Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque is a French professional rugby union team based in the Basque city of Biarritz, Aquitaine which competes in the Top 14 and the Heineken Cup...
40 to 13. With consistent form, he was regarded by many pundits as an automatic selection for the French 2007 Rugby World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
squad, and he was indeed named to the RWC squad.
Nyanga shares the cover of the French version of the EA Sports
EA Sports
EA Sports is a brand of Electronic Arts that creates and develops sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to mimic real-life sports networks by calling themselves "EA Sports Network" with pictures or endorsements of real commentators such as John...
game Rugby 08
Rugby 08
Rugby 08 is the 2007 release in the Rugby series by EA Sports. The game allows players to play as many Rugby nations, both major and minor, and includes many tournaments, such as the Rugby World Cup, Tri Nations, Six Nations, Guinness Premiership and Super 14.Rugby 08 was released prior to the...
with All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
captain Richie McCaw
Richie McCaw
Richard Hugh "Richie" McCaw is a New Zealand rugby union player, and is the current test captain. He plays in the openside flanker position for the New Zealand, Crusaders and Canterbury rugby teams...
.