The Springboks’ pack, led by Ox Nche, are gearing up for the upcoming scrum duel against Argentina in the Rugby Championship.
The “dark place” or “the gutter” is where the Springboks thrived during the Rugby World Cup, when they had to dig deep to win three consecutive elimination matches to win the Webb-Ellis trophy in France.
It doesn’t get any darker than the scrums, where the Springboks used a big weapon to get across the line, particularly in that great semi-final against England, where their stocky loosehead prop Nche stepped up.
In the second half, Nche delivered a scrum masterclass, bringing the Boks back into the game. He also helped South Africa gain the crucial scrum penalty, which was converted by replacement flyhalf Handre Pollard.
However, on Saturday in Santiago del Estero (kickoff at 11 p.m.), Nche could face a Los Pumas bogeyman who is equally at ease in the “gutter”.
Argentina’s tighthead Joel Sclavi weighs 137kg and stands around 1.9m tall. In other terms, the La Rochelle star is designed like a brick outhouse.
The 30-year-old Sclavi has destroyed all opponents in the Top 14 and Champions Cup. Los Pumas will be hoping that he can neutralize Nche, who has yet to meet a tighthead that he hasn’t eaten like a piece of his favorite chocolate cake.
In a sense, we may be seeing a battle between an immovable object and an irresistible force.
Nche, on the other hand, appears to be very familiar with his potential opponent, comparing him to the Springboks’ own tighthead ace Frans Malherbe.
Malherbe has been rested for the trip to Argentina, but Nche would have faced numerous scrum clashes against his compatriot during scrum coach Daan Human’s punishing live scrumming sessions. Those sessions are usually really gloomy.
“He has a similar frame to Frans [Malherbe]. He’s pretty wide. He has a massive chest, so it’s very hard to get under him,” Nche said.
“If he gets the hit on you, it’s going to be a long day. With his big frame, it just makes it difficult to get underneath him.
“He knows how to scrum and he’s very experienced. It’s going to be a very good challenge.”
