Springbok prop Ox Nche is under no illusions about the threat France will pose when the teams cross paths in Paris for their Nations Championship encounter on Friday, highlighting the scrums as one of the key areas of the game.
The match will take place at the Stade de France in Paris, with kick-off scheduled for 10:10 pm (SA time).
According to SA Rugby, Nche, who will pack down in the Bok front row with Malcolm Marx and Wilco Louw, spoke highly of the French forward pack.
READ: Another Tshituka brother enters the Boks fray before final Tests
“They love the scrum,” he said. “They have a lot of big and heavy boys, who want to scrum, and that French team is a good example of rugby being a game for all shapes and sizes.
“They are really good at scrummaging, and you can see they’ve been very consistent throughout the Six Nations, and even with their teams in the European competitions, so they definitely bring a challenge similar to playing a local derby. It’s very personal for the guy you’re coming up against, and that’s probably the difference.”
Reflecting on their opening match of the November tour against Italy last weekend, Nche echoed his teammates’ sentiments that South Africa must elevate their performance, despite winning the match 66-7.
“The Italians put a lot of pressure on us,” said Nche.
“We’ve reviewed the game, and there’s quite a bit of work we have to do because we fell a bit out of system and we just weren’t on the same page as a pack. They were definitely more determined than we were, and I think we were just a bit loose.
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“But we have solutions for that, and we’ll certainly look to fix it and put in a performance that matches our standards when this weekend.”
The powerful scrummager expects France to come out firing, after two massive battles against them in the last two matches, even with hosts nursing sevral injuries, especially at flyhalf.
“They’re a very dangerous team, and they definitely have options in the squad, and they’ve created quite a good culture of giving the younger guys game time against top nations on their tours over the last two years or so,” he said.
“So, we don’t see them differently than we did last season. They have very good players, who all understand the system, and they’ll be looking to implement it in their own way, so we’re just as focused as we were for the game last year.”
- Springbok prop Ox Nche emphasized that the French scrum will be a key challenge in their Nations Championship match in Paris on Friday.
- The match is scheduled at Stade de France with a kickoff time of 10:10 pm South African time.
- Nche praised the French forward pack for their consistency and strength in scrummaging during the Six Nations and European competitions.
- Reflecting on South Africa's 66-7 win against Italy last weekend, Nche acknowledged the need for improvement as the team was not fully synchronized.
- Despite French injury concerns, Nche expects France to be dangerous and well-prepared, with a focus on giving younger players experience on top tours.
Springbok prop Ox Nche is under no illusions about the threat France will pose when the teams cross paths in Paris for their Nations Championship encounter on Friday, highlighting the scrums as one of the key areas of the game.
The match will take place at the Stade de France in Paris, with kick-off scheduled for 10:10 pm (SA time).
According to SA Rugby, Nche, who will pack down in the Bok front row with Malcolm Marx and Wilco Louw, spoke highly of the French forward pack.
READ: Another Tshituka brother enters the Boks fray before final Tests
“They love the scrum,” he said. "They have a lot of big and heavy boys, who want to scrum, and that French team is a good example of rugby being a game for all shapes and sizes.
“They are really good at scrummaging, and you can see they’ve been very consistent throughout the Six Nations, and even with their teams in the European competitions, so they definitely bring a challenge similar to playing a local derby. It’s very personal for the guy you’re coming up against, and that’s probably the difference.”
Reflecting on their opening match of the November tour against Italy last weekend, Nche echoed his teammates' sentiments that South Africa must elevate their performance, despite winning the match 66-7.
“The Italians put a lot of pressure on us,” said Nche.
“We’ve reviewed the game, and there’s quite a bit of work we have to do because we fell a bit out of system and we just weren’t on the same page as a pack. They were definitely more determined than we were, and I think we were just a bit loose.
READ: Esterhuizen praises Kolisi as he takes Boks captaincy
“But we have solutions for that, and we’ll certainly look to fix it and put in a performance that matches our standards when this weekend.”
The powerful scrummager expects France to come out firing, after two massive battles against them in the last two matches, even with hosts nursing sevral injuries, especially at flyhalf.
“They’re a very dangerous team, and they definitely have options in the squad, and they’ve created quite a good culture of giving the younger guys game time against top nations on their tours over the last two years or so,” he said.
“So, we don’t see them differently than we did last season. They have very good players, who all understand the system, and they’ll be looking to implement it in their own way, so we’re just as focused as we were for the game last year.”
