Kyle Whyte on becoming a centurion

Centurion Kyle Whyte discussed getting his 100th cap in Round Six of the Champ and the differences between loosehead and tighthead prop. 

After Whyte signed for the Club in 2021, the forward prop made his 100th appearance for the club against Ampthill in Round Six. He becomes the ninth centurion at the Club in the professional era.

“It’s obviously a big thing for me and my family,” Whyte said on achieving his 100th cap. “Obviously it was a very awesome experience going out there and playing for the boys experiencing 100 caps. I’ve never done it for any other clubs, so it’s a big deal for me, so I really enjoyed it.”

For the South African, 100th cap celebrations were mellow with the rugby season in full force. But a successful weekend of South African rugby in the Quilter Nations Series felt like the right way to celebrate.

“We went for a few quiet ones after the game and watched the Springboks get a win against France. So very happy. A good weekend all around.”

The 30-year-old has had an extensive career at Trailfinders and beyond. He discussed some of his favourite moments from playing at Ealing Trailfinders.

“There’s been some very big moments in my career, but obviously, like the really close, hard fought wins, like the game we had against Pirates away, around December time, we had to fight through that to get that win.

“There have been a few trips to Jersey over the years where it’s been a really nice bonding experience.

“But obviously lifting the trophy three times with the team has been an amazing experience. I’m glad I’ve been able to do that three times and hopefully get number four this season.”

Whyte returns to loosehead prop this weekend after covering tighthead prop in recent matches. Whilst Whyte is one of few props who can fluidly move between the two positions, he emphasised the differences and difficulties of the two positions.

“It’s not as easy as people think,” Whyte said. “People think it’s just pushing. I’ve had the experience of playing both sides of the scrum. Being able to play both sides has come with experience and getting loads of reps at both sides.

“It obviously takes a bit of time to get back into it, but often a few scrummaging sessions and a few games, I can switch over.

“The gist of it is, as a loosehead, you need to try and keep the scrum up. As a tighthead you want to try and take the scrum down. So it’s very different muscles you’re using and a very different technique.

“I think it’s easier to swap from tighthead to loosehead, but obviously loosehead back to tighthead takes a bit of time because it’s completely different mechanisms. trying to drive down rather than up.”

Not many teams can say they’ve gone six games from six in any league. Ealing Trailfinders remain unbeaten in the Champ so far, despite a close scoreline against Hartpury in Round Five. Whyte offered his thoughts on how the 2025/26 season was unfolding so far.

“It has between an amazing start of the season. Obviously, we need to try and keep up that momentum because in the past seasons, we’ve had a couple laps of concentration.

“So it’s just making sure that we come in each week focussed. With the change and structure to the Champ system, we’ve obviously now got playoffs.

“It’s just making sure that we’re staying fresh, rotating the team, and then obviously putting ourselves in the best position to have a home quarter and home semi-final.”

This weekend, Ealing Trailfinders host Doncaster Knights for Round Seven. Last season, both fixtures between the two sides resulted in narrow scorelines. Yet, both fixtures were won by Doncaster.

Trailfinders will be looking to change that narrative this weekend.

“I think for Doncaster coming to Ealing is basically their World Cup final.

“They always come switched on, they always come with big energy and a big game, always try and get in our face, try and be the bully.

“But I think this weekend we’ve got a point to prove. We’ve obviously lost the last three games against them. We need to step up this weekend if we’re going to win.”