Springbok prop Ox Nché has delivered the ultimate front-row compliment – naming a fellow Bok as the toughest scrummager he has faced.
Nché named Stormers tighthead Frans Malherbe as the one who’s given him many tough days at scrum time during a lively appearance on the For the Love of Rugby SA podcast alongside fellow Springboks Trevor Nyakane and Steven Kitshoff.
“It would have to be Buffel [Frans Malherbe],” Nché said.
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Nyakane took the snub in good spirits, admitting: “He can give you a tough one, hey, once he starts leaning in there.”
“And he has a bigger chest than you. So if you had a bigger chest, maybe you,” Nché joked.
But behind the banter was genuine respect for one of the cornerstones of the Springboks’ dominant scrum.
“Frans is always willing to learn,” Nché explained.
“He’s open to whatever you have to say, but he just wants to be comfortable in the scrum; that’s his whole aim.
“When I am scrumming with him, he’ll tell me, ‘Relax, I’m going to sort out my guy, just sort out your guy, so that we can be fine.’ It’s the simplest thing. He can communicate like that, and he learns on the go, and he is able to adapt easily.
“He plans and reacts on the go, and that’s what makes it difficult; you never know what you’re getting on a day.”
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Even when the conversation turned to pace, Nché stuck with Malherbe, backing the tighthead to win a 40m sprint thanks to his longer stride.
Photo: Lee Warren/Gallo Images
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