Wilco v Ox: Big scrum battle awaits when Stormers host Sharks
· Citizen
Springbok props Ox Nche and Wilco Louw could be set for a mouthwatering match-up when the Stormers host the Sharks in their United Rugby Championship (URC) coastal derby at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday.
If named in the Stormers match 23 as expected, it will be Louw’s first appearance for the team he started his career with, before leaving in 2019, and then signing back with after completing a three-year stint with the Bulls.
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Loosehead Nche and tighthead Louw are two of the most destructive scrummagers in world rugby, but are often on the same side of the scrum with Malcolm Marx in between them when representing the Springboks.
Speaking at a Sharks press conference on Tuesday, Nche said he is always excited to front up against a Bok teammate, but played down the battle, and instead focused on the pack as a whole.
“It’s always exciting when you go up against guys who you play with. It’s a great challenge to play against them, but I honestly don’t see it as a me thing. It’s more about what we can do as a pack, how well we prepare together,” explained Nche.
Nche returned from Bok duty two weeks ago and got straight back down to franchise business as he trained with the Sharks and made his first appearance of the URC season off the bench in their match against Leinster last weekend.
The Sharks scrum was dominant throughout the match, and helped lay the platform for their good 26-20 win over the competition defending champions and Nche admitted they did not expect to get as much dominance as they did.
“We prepare to be dominant in our set-pieces, and we felt that our scrum could put pressure on them, disrupt them a bit,” said Nche.
“But we didn’t expect to do that well, because the (ref’s) calls could go 50-50. It did make a big difference because you can win 30 to 40 metres if you get a penalty from a scrum. It just gives the team momentum and we can play in the opposition half and put pressure on them.”
Earlier in the week Stormers utility forward Deon Fourie said it wouldn’t be strange to see the Bok bruisers battling it out, as it is something they often do in training with the Springboks.
“They scrum against each other regularly in Bok training sessions and know each other really well. They’ve played against each other often at this level before. I think it will be an important part of the game but they will probably cancel each other out,” said Fourie with a smile.