mens
United-rugby-championship
Ox Nche played down a one-on-one battle with fellow Springbok Wilco Louw ahead of Sharks United Rugby Championship meeting with Stormers on Saturday in Cape Town.
The two props will go head-to-head in an extraordinary front-row contest in the third round, should they be selected, but Nche insists the outcome will depend more on how Sharks they act collectively rather than in any personal duel.
The Stormers will present a demanding test up front, with Louw among the key figures in their pack and Nche fully aware of what his fellow Springbok can bring at scrum time.
For Nche, knowing Louw from a Springbok environment only adds to the challenge, rather than changing the way he approaches the competition.
The Sharks will head to Cape Town on top of the URC table having scored maximum points in wins over Ospreys and current champions Leinster in the opening two rounds. The Stormers, meanwhile, will enjoy a return to South African soil having opened their campaign with a win over Connacht in the first round Ireland followed by a loss of up to Edinburgh in the second round in the capital of Scotland.
“It’s always exciting when you go up against the guys you play with,” Nche said in a press conference this week. “Obviously it’s a big challenge to play against him, but I don’t see it as a ‘me’ thing, it’s about what we can do as a pack, how well we prepare.
“We have to work together as a pack to make sure our pack does better. I’m looking forward to the challenge, but I think our preparation will be to prepare as a pack and do things together more than anything.”
The Sharks loosehead also revealed their preparations have focused on identifying the Stormers’ system rather than focusing too much on individuals.
“We’re preparing based on what we’ve seen, what we think their system is. That’s what we’re preparing for and what we’re focusing on.
“If they have other plans, we’ll have to come together and make plans on the fly. But right now we’re preparing for what their system is.”
