Ox Nche says the Boks are approaching the Rugby Championship like a mountain climber, taking it step by step.
Powerhouse Springbok prop Ox Nche says that the team are firmly keeping their eyes on Saturday’s match and are not looking past the challenge of the Wallabies as they look to defend their Rugby Championship title over the next two months.
The Boks open their campaign against the Australians at Ellis Park this weekend, and are well aware of how the visitors have improved, and are expecting a massive fight against a side which beat the British and Irish Lions a few weeks ago.
Following the second game against the visitors from Down Under in Cape Town next weekend, the Boks head to New Zealand for a huge two game tour against their biggest rivals, and Nche was asked if it was difficult to stay in the present moment with that monster tour looming.
Older and wiser
But the burly front ranker said the team had no problem focusing on the now, especially since each team in the competition were a year older and wiser, making the challenge even stiffer.
“We have the mentality of a mountain climber. You don’t climb a mountain by looking up, you climb it step by step,” explained Nche at a Bok press conference on Wednesday.
“And if we don’t do well in these two Australia Tests, it is not a good start to the climb. If we do well, it will give us confidence, and the way becomes easier.
“All the other teams are a year older, their players more experienced. Argentina beat the British and Irish Lions. Australia also beat them, and New Zealand are always up there.
“So the challenge has become bigger. We would not compete in the Rugby Championship if we were not trying to win it. We will go all guns blazing to try and win it. We are in a good position in that we still have all of our experience but also a lot of young talent coming through.”
Scrum battle
Nche is also expecting a big battle in the scrums, which is a department that the Wallabies have perhaps struggled in a bit recently.
In last year’s second Test in Perth, with the Aussies firmly on the back foot in the scrums, it eventually went to uncontested scrums after the hosts lost three props to injury, which took away a big weapon of the Boks, but they still went on to secure a 30-12 win.
However, the Australians showed in their final two games against the British and Irish Lions that they can front up, and will be looking to produce a similar effort against the Boks.
“They’ve got some good new combinations, and a lot of players who have also played together for a while, so they’ll be a big challenge. They didn’t like to scrum too much last year and had a few tricks up their sleeves, but I think they’ve improved a lot in that department,” said Nche.
“We saw in the Lions series how solid their pack is. You’ve got guys like Will Skelton, Taniela Tupou, and Angus Bell, as well as the players coming off the bench. They compete well at lineout time and win most of their ball, so they’ve got the right combinations now.”
