Latest news with #OxNche
IOL News
06-07-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
'Senior citizen' Ox Nche embraces role of nurturing Springbok newcomers
Much will be expected from Springbok prop Ox Nche this season, both on and off the field. | Backpageix Image: Backpagepix Roly-poly Springbok prop Ox Nche is not entirely comfortable with his elder statesman status in the Springbok squad — but that is the reality following the retirement of Steven Kitshoff and a season-ending injury to Frans Malherbe. The 29-year-old Nche is now a veteran of 40 Test matches and has been tasked with showing the ropes to emerging Boks such as Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Gerhard Steenekamp, Asenathi Ntlabakanye and Boan Venter. 'Ever since I have been in the system, I've never felt like a junior or a senior,' Nche says. 'It has always been a case of: you have to do your job, you have to know your detail, and you have to do the hard work. It's still the same. But you see the younger guys come in and it is easier to help them understand the process and help them improve — because somebody did that for me. 'Kitsy and the guys helped me a lot. Now it's my turn to take on that added responsibility, because you have to help the next guy take the jersey to the next level and leave it in a better place.' Nche says the responsibility does not place extra pressure on him. 'It makes you want to better yourself. You know the standards that have been set. It just makes you want to take them and try to elevate them to the next level.' Nche has been working closely with Lions loosehead Ntlabakanye and rates him highly. 'I knew him before we came to camp. We've got to know each other better now because we train together, we work hard together, and the relationship has just become easier. It's easier to be open and honest with each other in the same team. 'When we give each other advice, we are actually pulling each other up. We don't doubt the information we're giving each other. 'He's a good player, he works hard, has rugby IQ, and he loves the game. That's one thing I've noticed about him. 'Even after a tough session, you can see that while Asenathi knew it was hard, he understood it had to be done.' Since June last year, Nche has started 12 of the 13 Tests he has played in — a marked contrast to the Bomb Squad role he occupied for years. 'Whether I'm starting or coming on, the mentality stays the same. The only difference is that when you start, you don't know what's coming — like what mood the opposition is in. 'It's not like when you're on the bench and you can see what their intent is — what you're up against is much clearer. 'But the mentality stays the same. You have a job to do, and you have to maintain the standards that the other guys have set, or bring the standard the coach wants from you.' Nche says being a Springbok comes with the perpetual need to uphold and drive standards. 'As much as there are a lot of youngsters in the team, most of them have played in the United Rugby Championship and been to the alignment camps, where the standards have already been explained by the coaches. 'There might be pressure on guys trying to find their feet, but you know what is required of you and you do the extra work to make sure you're on the same level if you feel you're not.' Nche believes the future of the Bok front row is in good hands.
IOL News
07-06-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Bulls made to sweat by Sharks as they win through to URC final with semi-final win at Loftus Versfeld
SHARKS prop Ox Nche's efforts were not enough to the Durbanites go past the Bulls in the URC semi-final at Loftus. | ITUMELENG ENGLISH/Independent Newspapers Both Papier and De Klerk had points to prove after being left out of the 54-man Springbok squad, and they gave Rassie Erasmus something to consider. The Bulls countered magnificently. A perfect lineout saw scrumhalf Embrose Papier break through the retreating defence, and the ball went wide to wing Sebastian de Klerk, who finished slickly. The first scrums had the massive home crowd roaring as the Sharks went backward at a rapid rate of knots. From one such reverse action, the ball spilled out wide and Sharks wing Ethan Hooker scooped the ball to score, but the try was disallowed because his backline had been offside. The match kicked off in an electrifying atmosphere and the players responded in kind, with breathtaking action throughout. They beat the Sharks 25-13 in front of a rapturous crowd of 48 000 to ensure a final against Leinster in Dublin. The Sharks were valiant opponents but the Bulls showed valour on defence and efficiency on attack to fight through to the final of the United Rugby Championship. David Kriel soars over the try line as the Vodacom @BlueBullsRugby go one step closer to the Grand Final ✈️ @Vodacom #URC | #BULvSHA Just as the first quarter ended, it seemed as if the Sharks had weathered the storm. Their scrum settled after the initial brutal attacks, but when Jaden Hendrikse was under pressure in the Sharks' 22, he slipped when attempting a clearance kick and the ball stumbled forward to the Bulls. De Klerk kick-passed out wide to Canan Moodie, who finished neatly in the corner. Jaden's brother, Jordan, put the Sharks on the board with a well-taken penalty in the 25th minute to make it 12-3. The Sharks were revived and when the Bulls lost a lineout, Makazole Mapimpi made a strong thrust up field and, in the tackle, Harold Vorster did not release him. The Bulls centre was yellow carded, but Hendrikse missed the shot at goal to let the Bulls off the hook. With five minutes to go in the half, the Bulls' scrum picked up their intensity and a penalty won was converted into three points by Goosen. At 15-3 with halftime looming, the Sharks were in trouble. But once more the Bulls made life difficult for themselves when Cameron Hanekom tip-tackled opposite number Siya Kolisi. He was sin-binned but, interestingly, the Sharks spurned the easy three points and kicked to the corner. They were repelled and Vorster earned his team a penalty at a breakdown. It proved to be an injudicious decision to squander the three points. The Sharks continued their pressure as halftime approached and again won a penalty in front of the posts. Once more they chose the corner instead of the points, and this time the pressure resulted in veteran Marcell Coetzee received a yellow card for pulling down the maul This was in the 40th minute and he joined Hanekom in the naughty corner. Somehow the Bulls survived the siege on the line and went to the change rooms 15-3 in front. The Sharks continued their assault and five minutes into the half, Mapimpi accelerated to the corner after a series of phases from a lineout. Hendrikse missed the conversion to leave it at 15-8 to the Bulls. Sadly, in the 28th minute URC Next Gen Player of the year, Hanekom was carted off the field with what looked to be a serious knee injury. It was all Sharks in the third quarter and they were rewarded for their relentless pressure when space was found for Hooker out wide, and he finished superbly. Jaden Hendrikse took over the kicking duties from his brother, but missed the conversion to leave the Bulls 15-13 in front. This hurt all the more for the Durbanites when Keegan Johannes nailed a pressure penalty with his team's first meaningful possession of the half to make it 18-13. The Bulls had taken a lot of punishment, and they upped their tempo, with outside David Kriel finishing a movement started by Papier. At 25-13 with ten minutes to go, that was the ball game. Scorers Bulls — Tries: Sebastian de Klerk, Canan Moodie, David Kriel. Conversions: Johan Goosen, Keegan Johannes. Penalties: Goosen, Johannes. Sharks — Tries: Makazole Mapimpi, Ethan Hooker. Penalties: Jordan Hendrikse.
The Citizen
07-06-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Little motivation needed to fire Sharks up for Bulls URC semi
It is all set to be a classic blockbuster semifinal derby between two huge local rivals when the Sharks take on the Bulls in their URC semifinal at Loftus. The Sharks have needed very little motivation this week to get themselves fired up for their massive United Rugby Championship (URC) semifinal encounter against the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday evening (kick-off 6:30pm). It is the Durban sides first time in a URC semifinal, and they had to qualify the hard way, by winning a first ever URC playoff penalty shootout against Munster last weekend. That match went to 100 minutes, after the sides were locked level at 24-all at the end of fulltime, followed by a scoreless 20 minutes of extra time, meaning a kick-off was needed to break the deadlock. Despite the toll that would have taken on the players, a derby semifinal against arguably their biggest local rivals in front of a crowd of 50000 people on the Highveld was the perfect tonic to lift them back up. 'With big games like this, it's often your easiest week as a coach. The players are all excited about the opportunity,' explained Sharks coach John Plumtree at the team announcement on Friday. 'We had to lighten the load a lot in training based on what happened last weekend, but they're feeling good.' Done the double A boost to the visitors heading into the clash is that they have already done the double over the Bulls in the pool phase this season, winning 20-17 in Durban in December, before stunning the hosts in Pretoria 29-19 earlier this year. They will thus be high on confidence, but will also be well aware that they have to win the little battles on the day, including the psychological one. A mouthwatering battle is also expected to be waged in the scrums, as a Springbok World Cup winning front row of Ox Nche, Bongi Mbonambi and Vincent Koch, front up against arguably the URC's best scrum this season, of Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Johan Grobbelaar and Wilco Louw. 'It's not just about who gets front-foot ball but also the psychological battle, and that's what it's all about, these big contests. The Bulls are not just a scrummaging team, they're a good set-piece team, particularly at Loftus,' Plumtree said. 'These are big derby games, aren't they? The Sharks-Bulls game at Loftus, everyone in Durban will be watching this game of rugby because it's based on the contests there have been over the years, and there have been some great contests.' The winner of the Highveld semifinal will either be traveling to Dublin to face Irish powerhouse Leinster, or hosting Scottish defending champs Glasgow Warriors in the Grand Final next weekend.
The Citizen
16-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Etzebeth passed fit to lead Sharks against Scarlets
The team will be hoping for a win against the Welsh side as they target a top three finish in in the URC standings. Eben Etzebeth took a full part in training this week, ahead of the Sharks' match with Scarlets. Picture: Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images The good news is Eben Etzebeth is fine and will captain the Sharks in their final round United Rugby Championship pool match against Scarlets in Durban on Saturday (7.30pm). There had been fears last weekend that the veteran Springbok lock had suffered a serious knee injury, but it appears the two-time World Cup winner is fit and ready to play. Springbok team-mate Siya Kolisi though won't play this weekend. A win for the Sharks against the Welsh side and a defeat for Glasgow Warriors (against Leinster) will see John Plumtree's men finish third on the points table. Should that transpire, the Sharks will host the sixth-placed team on the points table in the quarter-finals in two weeks' time. In all, there are four changes in the Sharks pack, while the backline has been retained that played last weekend. Ox Nche returns at loosehead prop after missing last week's game, taking over from Dian Bleuler, with Emile van Heerden also making his return to the second row with Jason Jenkins shifting to the bench, in place of Emmanuel Tshituka (concussion) who had a strong cameo in last week's clash with the Ospreys, when he replaced Etzebeth. Phepsi Buthelezi will play eighthman in place of Kolisi. The final change sees Tino Mavesere replacing James Venter on the side of the scrum. In all, Plumtree has still selected nine Springboks in his starting team, with a further three on the bench. Sharks: Aphelele Fassi, Ethan Hooker, Jurenzo Julius, Andre Esterhuizen, Makazole Mapimpi, Siya Masuku, Jaden Hendrikse, Phepsi Buthulezi, Vincent Tshituka, Tino Mavesere, Emile van Heerden, Eben Etzebeth (capt), Vincent Koch, Bongi Mbonambi, Ox Nche. Bench: Fez Mbatha, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Hanro Jacobs, Jason Jenkins, Nick Hatton, Bradley Davids, Francois Venter, Yaw Penxe Players not available for selection due to injury or illness: Corne Rahl, Dylan Richardson, Gerbrandt Grobler, Grant Williams, Henry Immelman, Jordan Hendrikse, Lukhanyo Am, Marnus Potgieter, Ruan Dryer, Trevor Nyakane
The Citizen
08-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Sharks squad v Ospreys: Etzebeth returns while three Springboks miss out
World Rugby and SA Player of the Year nominee Eben Etzebeth returns to captain the Sharks while Ox Nche, Lukhanyo Am and Jordan Hendrikse miss out. Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth has recovered from flu to lead the Sharks in their 17th-round United Rugby Championship match against Ospreys at Kings Park on Friday (kick-off 7pm). Head coach John Plumtree has largely stuck with the team that defeated Ulster 22–19 in Belfast two weeks ago although three Springboks have been withdrawn from the starting XV. There's just the one change to the pack with Dian Bleuler coming in for Ox Nche (who is ill) at loosehead prop, while Siya Masuku replaces Jordan Hendrikse at flyhalf and Jurenzo Julius takes over from Lukhanyo Am at outside centre. The latter two play off the bench, with Francois Venter and Yaw Penxe named as their replacements. Sharks need three points from two games After two vital overseas wins in successive weekends, the Sharks are fourth on the log, seven ahead of Cardiff who face the rampant Bulls at Loftus on Saturday. The Durban side need just three log points from the final two weekends to ensure a home quarter and semi-final (should they make the last four), but in this penultimate round will be looking for a full house of log points to nail down a top four place – or higher should other results go their way. Sharks starting XV: Aphelele Fassi, Ethan Hooker, Jurenzo Julius, André Esterhuizen, Makazole Mapimpi, Siya Masuku, Jaden Hendrikse, Siya Kolisi, Vincent Tshituka, James Venter, Jason Jenkins, Eben Etzebeth (C), Vincent Koch, Bongi Mbonambi, Dian Bleuler. Replacements: Fez Mbatha, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Hanro Jacobs, Emmanuel Tshituka, Phepsi Buthelezi, Bradley Davids, Francois Venter, Yaw Penxe. Players not available for selection due to injury or illness: Corne Rahl, Dylan Richardson, Emile van Heerden, Gerbrandt Grobler, Grant Williams, Henry Immelman, Jordan Hendrikse, Lukhanyo Am, Marnus Potgieter, Ox Nche, Ruan Dreyer, Trevor Nyakane
