Sharks-prop-Ox-Nche-during-a-warm-up
Springboks and Sharks prop Ox Nche is relishing the front-row battle ahead of a massive local derby against the Bulls in the United Rugby Championship (URC).
Nche has not made a starting return yet for the Durban side after a very successful Rugby World Cup that saw the loosehead throw his name in lights by almost single-handedly turning around the semi-final against England.
After his brilliant scrummaging cameo in that game, he has become a cult hero for South African fans with his joke “salads don’t win scrums” the centre of his popularity.
“Complete” Bulls
The powerful prop is looking forward to refocusing and performing for his team in the URC and expects a difficult challenge from the “complete” Bulls this weekend.
“If you have been watching the Bulls’ games, they have been running with the ball. They kick well, they are dominant in contact and their defence systems are in place,” Nche said.
“I think they are going to give a complete package in terms of the challenge.
“We have to be ready for it or we will come out second best.”
Nche faces Wilco Louw, who is one of the better scrummagers in the country, and the Sharks man is up for a big battle.
“Wilco has a good reputation around his scrumming and he is pretty strong so we will need to have very good plans to neutralise that,” he said.
“They are a good pack; they have been putting teams away at set-piece time. I think it is going to be a massive challenge for us and I think we just have to be up for it.
“They scrum well as a unit and not just the front-row.”
Save the season
It has not been the dream start for the Sharks, who sit in 14th spot on the table, but the return of their Springbok contingent could be the added impetus they need to save their season.
Nche is expecting his team to embrace the altitude and empty the tank when the teams face off this weekend.
“We have 23 strong players and our philosophy is pretty similar to the Boks, which is give it your all for as long as you can and then the next guy [off the bench] can do the same,” he added.
“Guys have been playing full games and they are fit enough to play at altitude, so we are going to keep to our philosophies. The only thing that we can really get out of it is a better team.
“We are playing the Cheetahs [in Bloemfontein in the Challenge Cup] in a few weeks and it’s going to be altitude as well, so we have to push ourselves now.
“If it does have an effect then we will come out as better players in the end.”
News Related
-
1024x768_france-antoine-dupont-and-fabian-galthie-oct-2023-jpg Fabien Galthie’s men went into the global tournament as one of the favourites but they were ousted in the last-eight. Les Bleus suffered a 29-28 defeat to the Springboks as they were eliminated at their home World Cup by the eventual champions. It was a similar story to 2019, ...
See Details:
Antoine Dupont still hurt by 'injustice' of World Cup loss to Springboks
-
China’s New Aircraft Carrier Begins Catapult Testing Testing of the catapults on the Chinese aircraft carrier Fujian has begun. This is an important step forward in the construction of this ship, which is set to be the first carrier in the People’s Liberation Army Navy, or PLAN, that launches aircraft ...
See Details:
China's New Aircraft Carrier Begins Catapult Testing
-
Aircraft Downed Inside Russia By Patriot System: Ukrainian Air Force The Ukrainian Air Force has now confirmed that a number of Russian aircraft shot down back in May over their own territory were indeed destroyed by a foreign-supplied Patriot air defense system. The possibility that Ukraine’s newly acquired Patriots may ...
See Details:
Aircraft Downed Inside Russia By Patriot System: Ukrainian Air Force
-
-
Exiled Mayor of Melitopol Ivan Fedorov delivers a speech during a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament on April 20, 2022 in Brussels. Fedorov on Monday said Ukrainian partisans blew up a car with pro-Russian fighters inside over the weekend. A car with Chechen soldiers fighting ...
See Details:
Car With Pro-Russian Fighters Blown Up by Resistance: Exiled Mayor
-
-
Springbok lock opts not to renew contract with URC team Rugby World Cup-winning lock RG Snyman has opted not to extend his stay at Munster beyond the current season. This week, it was revealed by Munster that Snyman would seek new horizons once his deal with the Irish Province expires. ...
See Details:
Springbok lock opts not to renew contract with URC team
-
Pravin Gordhan’s deathly legacy: A threat to SA’s economic future In the corridors of power, where decisions shape the destiny of nations, one man has emerged as front runner for the dubious honour of being the architect of South Africa’s economic chaos – Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan, at ...
See Details:
Pravin Gordhan’s deathly legacy: A threat to SA’s economic future
-
Pravin Gordhan’s deathly legacy: A threat to SA’s economic future In the corridors of power, where decisions shape the destiny of nations, one man has emerged as front runner for the dubious honour of being the architect of South Africa’s economic chaos – Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan, at ...
See Details:
Antoine Dupont STILL hurt by ‘injustice’ of Rugby World Cup loss to Springboks
-
Pravin Gordhan’s deathly legacy: A threat to SA’s economic future In the corridors of power, where decisions shape the destiny of nations, one man has emerged as front runner for the dubious honour of being the architect of South Africa’s economic chaos – Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan, at ...
See Details:
Rubber stamping NHI Bill will have damaging consequences for SA for generations
-
-
Pravin Gordhan’s deathly legacy: A threat to SA’s economic future In the corridors of power, where decisions shape the destiny of nations, one man has emerged as front runner for the dubious honour of being the architect of South Africa’s economic chaos – Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan, at ...
See Details:
After the Bell: SA’s NHI healthcare disaster starts right here
-
Pravin Gordhan’s deathly legacy: A threat to SA’s economic future In the corridors of power, where decisions shape the destiny of nations, one man has emerged as front runner for the dubious honour of being the architect of South Africa’s economic chaos – Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan, at ...
See Details:
Gupta-linked development land for sale
-
OTHER NEWS
A senior Volkswagen executive involved in a global cost-cutting strategy said on Friday, 24 November, he was “very worried” about the future of the company’s operations in South Africa, which ...
Read more »
Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters Liz Truss, the shortest-serving prime minister in British history, who was famously shown to have a shorter shelf life than a lettuce, has effectively backed Donald Trump ...
Read more »
Standard Bank treasonous? We're literally helping to keep the lights on says CEO Bruce Whitfield speaks to Lungisa Fuzile, Standard Bank SA CEO. Standard Bank is one of 28 banks ...
Read more »
Israel, Hamas agree to extend truce for two days; Musk ‘would like to help rebuild Gaza’ The UN said many people in Gaza still had no food or cooking fuel ...
Read more »
Mamelodi Sundowns’ former coach, Pitso Mosimane, dismissed the African Football League Jingles shared his opinion and compared it to the CAF league and said that it was a mere tournament ...
Read more »
Take note of these N3 road works between Westville and Paradise Valley The N3 between the Westville viaduct and Paradise Valley interchange will be partially closed to traffic for the ...
Read more »
UKZN medical student bags 2023 Health Excellence Rising Star Award Durban — One of the country’s most progressive young minds in the medical field, fifth-year University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) medical ...
Read more »