Last of the old-firm front row stands strong as an Ox

Ox Nché insists there is no added pressure on him as the Springboks try to keep up their standards in the face of injuries and retirement.

The old-firm front row of Steven Kitshoff (forced retirement) and Frans Malherbe (injury) have left the Boks a little short of experience but Nché appears to be taking the role of elder statesman in his stride.

“Since I joined, I’ve never felt like I was a junior,” said the 29-year-old loosehead prop, who played in his 40th Test against Italy in Pretoria yesterday. “You have to know your job, the detail and put in the hard work.

“It is easier for me to help guys, and get them better. Steven Kitshoff helped me a lot. There is no added pressure. It makes you want to improve yourself. There is no pressure but you want to take the standard that was there and elevate it.”

Nché said he is more comfortable in the Boks’ evolving game plan. “I don’t have to think about it. I can just apply myself. Because I know the system so well, it is easier to get into positions to be involved.”

He will likely start the bulk of the Bok Tests this year but his mindset is unlikely to alter. “The mentality stays the same,” he said about starting or coming off the bench.

“The only difference is you don’t know what mood the other team is in. On the bench, you can actually see what the intent is. You have to keep up the standard the coaches demand of you.”

The Boks face a particularly tough programme this year. They have two away Tests against the All Blacks and one each against France and Ireland. Their credentials as the top-ranked team in the world will come under threat.

Nché believes the Boks have the depth, particularly in the scrum, to ride the storm. Despite the absentees, there is still heated competition for places. “Jan-Hendrik [Wessels], he is a strong, dynamic player. He gets around the park, he’s quick. We have Boan [Venter], a big ball carrier. He’s good at set piece. We also have Thomas [du Toit], who has done well in the Premiership.

Since I joined, I’ve never felt like I was a junior. You have to know your job, the detail and put in the hard work.

—  Ox Nché, Bok loose head prop 

“There are some youngsters who played in the URC [United Rugby Championship], and have been part of alignment camps. They know what is expected of them. The senior guys, too. At the Sharks, we didn’t scrum that well but at the Boks I have to find my feet again,” he admitted.

Nché explained the alignment camps are designed to get players on the same page and that criticism is taken on the chin. “You get constructive criticism. Problems are identified and solutions presented.”

On that score, the legend of scrum coach Daan Human has grown over the last year or so. Human is a straight-talker who at times comes up with unconventional ways to improve his players. His recent coaching stint on his farm with Asenathi Ntlabakanye and Wessels got real traction on social media.

Are the players brave enough to tease the social media sensation?

“He’s probably the one guy you’ll struggle to talk smack about. He’s calm and he’s always ready. We go way back but I’ve never had to do that [go train on the farm]. I went to his farm for fun activities.”

Of course, Nché is no stranger to lighting up social media, whether through his aversion to salads or his commitment to confectionery consumption. He has, however, been less active of late. “Maybe on the socials, I’ve cut back. In real life I haven’t,” he chuckled.

“I’m still very much into my cake. There is a lot of cake talk happening behind the scenes.”

Nché and his fellow Bok front-rankers have had to roll with the punches. Scrum laws are often tweaked but Nché does not believe there are attempts to emasculate the scrum. “I think they are trying to get better athletes,” he said.

“The assumption is always, ‘if your pack is bigger you are going to dominate’. The more your tight five is conditioned, the better your scrums are going to be. You just have to adapt to the laws. What gets to me, sometimes, are the resets. If you are on the same standard, there shouldn’t be a problem, and scrum laws won’t be changing. No-one wants to see a scrum reset. It takes pretty long.”