In the words of Springboks and Sharks prop Ox Nche, “salads don't win scrums”; but what does win you scrums?
During the World Cup, South African loosehead Nche quickly gained a reputation as the best scrummager in the world in the infamous ‘bomb squad'. He has since transferred this across wonderfully into the club game too; but he, humbly, feels it's his work with others around him that makes him so good in this dark art.
“Honestly, I think it's the way I'm able to just work with the guys around me in my pack,” he said. “I'm always open-minded to even how the locks feel and what they prefer us doing. I'm just always trying to get everyone aligned. You don't just win a scrum alone; you win it together. The most important thing is understanding the guys around you and making sure that we're all making plans to actually make the scum better and dominate the guys in front of us.”
For both club and country, Nche is gifted to have some of the best forwards in the world alongside him too. Bongi Mbonambi and Vincent Koch regularly play alongside Nche, and Eben Etzebeth is also a familiar body behind him too; and Nche feels this Springboks connection brings the best out of the unit at club level.
“You have guys that are experienced and also open-minded and willing to learn, so you get the best of both worlds. Not a lot of guys have that privilege to actually say you're playing with guys that have won a World Cup twice or have over 100 international caps, so it makes a big difference. It helps a lot.”
The Springbok prop will have his hands full this weekend though. The scrum has been a strong part of Gloucester's game this season, and Nche is fully aware of the threat they pose.
“It's going to be a big challenge. In the last five games they've won 13 penalties from scrums, so it's going to be a big challenge for us and it's definitely something we're looking forward to. They're not playing in the finals because they've actually put in and to just do well together as a unit.”
Whilst players like Ox Nche are making scrums fashionable once more, the new laws introduced by World Rugby could limit the power it has on the game.
As part of the ‘fan-focused law changes' laid out earlier this month, the option to take a scrum at a free-kick has been removed. Furthermore, a new 30-second ‘shot-clock' will be used to speed up the scrum set-up.
Forwards, and forwards coaches alike, must have despaired at this thought, and Nche was quick to highlight the importance of the scrum to the very fabric of Rugby Union.
“For me it is a big part of the game. That's why I always say anyone, any shape, any size can play, and the scrum is a big part of the game where the big boys can also take on each other and challenge each other.
He added: “If we don't want the scrum in rugby then we should just start watching rugby league I guess.”
Other law changes introduced include the banning of the crocodile roll, as well as the removal of the ‘Dupont law', which affects an offside player following a kick. The offside line at the scrum has also now changed for scrum-halves.
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