Ox Nché draws inspiration from the legendary Os du Randt as the front-row powerhouse steels himself to power the Springbok scrum against England on Saturday.
Former England No 8 Nick Easter on Planet Rugby argued that containing Nché at scrum time is non-negotiable for England in the blockbuster Nations Championship clash at Ellis Park.
Du Randt was already a World Cup winner by 23 when Nché was born in 1995, and by the time the Free Stater bowed out with a second title in 2007 after an unlikely recall under Jake White, a 12-year-old Nché was watching a prop redefine what the position could do.
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He has since carved out a reputation of his own, earning a World Rugby Player of the Year nomination and delivering a scrum masterclass off the bench in the 2023 World Cup semi-final against England.
“Before Os, there were these traditional props who only scrummed, and walked around the field,” Nché said in the build-up to this week’s showdown on the Highveld.
“When I was a kid, I recall Os getting the ball from a kick-off and running through almost the entire team.
“Os added work rate to set-piece. He showed how much props can actually get done, how much influence we can have instead of just doing the basics.
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“That is why we look up to him,” the Bok loosehead prop added. “He was a big guy, but very mobile. He got around the park and brought a different skill set to what had been the tradition.”
True to his “salads don’t win scrums” catchphrase, Nché revealed his preparation to lock horns with the English again has been strictly old-school.
“I’ve stayed off the cake, and it has mostly been steak,” he joked.
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Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
The post Ox still looks to Os to set the standard appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Ox Nché draws inspiration from the legendary Os du Randt as the front-row powerhouse steels himself to power the Springbok scrum against England on Saturday.
The post Ox still looks to Os to set the standard appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
