Nyauza's form has coach Dladla drooling

Richards Bay coach Pitso Dladla is surprised at how quickly defender Ntsikelelo Nyauza settled in at the club after joining them last month.

The former Orlando Pirates defender has played three matches for the club already and scored a winner against Stellenbosch earlier this month.

Dladla said he had not expected Nyauza to adjust so quickly as he had not done a pre-season with them, but that he was impressed with his contribution.

“The chairman [Jomo Biyela] was able to bring a player who fitted well in the team and has a strong mentality,” Dladla said.

“Nyauza is a humble player just like other players who arrived here, even when we are sitting and talking to them they respect us. What I liked about the chairman is he brought us a player who is playing his heart out and respects us as young coaches.

“That has helped us because Nyauza showed that he is still capable of playing, so it also helps to have a chairman like Biyela. We are just hoping that he stays injury-free as we need him throughout the season.”

Meanwhile, Nyauza, 34, promised to use his experience to mentor young players and help the team in their maiden season in the DStv Premiership.

“It’s a new team in the PSL and as a senior player I need to mentor the young players because I was also mentored at Pirates,” Nyauza said.

“I was mentored by Siyabonga Swangweni and Lucky Lekgwathi when I was at Pirates, so I need to pass on that information to the young ones so that when I retire, they can carry on with that legacy.”

The Natal Rich Boys will be looking to continue with their impressive start in the season when they host TS Galaxy at King Goodwill Zwelithini Stadium on Sunday.

Fixtures

Saturday: Arrows v Swallows, Princess Magogo, 3pm; Chippa v Gallants, Nelson Mandela Bay, 3pm; Sekhukhune v Stellenbosch, Peter Mokaba, 5.30pm; Chiefs v SuperSport, FNB, 8pm

Sunday: Sundowns v AmaZulu, Loftus Versfeld, 3pm; Richards Bay v Galaxy, King Goodwill Zwelithini Stadium, 5.30pm.