Ox Nche reveals that a gym mistake nearly cost him World Cup place

Springboks prop Ox Nche has revealed that a foolish mistake in the gym last month nearly cost him Rugby World Cup selection. The recently turned 28-year-old loosehead was set to be involved in the July 8 Rugby Championship match versus Australia in Pretoria, but a pectoral injury ruled him out and left him sweating on whether he would make the squad of 33 for the finals in France.

The Sharks player failed to make it back fit in time to play before Jacques Nienaber named his RWC squad, but Nche was ultimately included in the August 8 announcement and is now in Cardiff where he is set to play his first Test match of 2023 when he packs down as a sub versus Wales next Saturday in the Summer Nations Series.

Asked why he had been sidelined in the run-up to the World Cup squad selection, Nche told a virtual media conference from Wales: “I was in the gym and I was just in a rush; I tore it [the muscle] in the gym, I didn’t warm up properly. That’s what happened.”

It left him anxious that he would miss out on RWC selection. “Massively. It did cross my mind a few times because everyone who has got a chance has played pretty well.”

His situation meant a lot of extra work on the training ground to try and catch up with his positional rivals. “You have to do a lot honestly because the guys are getting game time and they are also practicing every single day and having rugby collisions and running at Test intensity,” he explained.

“As a player that was injured, you have to do more than what they are doing. You have to load your body more, you have to in a sense come back fitter than they are because you can be running fit, you can be stronger, but the rugby collisions and the load that your body goes under will never be the same no matter how hard you train.

“You probably have to train two times harder than what they are doing and do more sessions than they are doing.

“I’m excited I’m finally getting a chance to play so my focus is playing well and making a good impression. As much as I am excited for the World Cup, it’s all about getting back to full confidence and fully trusting where I left off and building on that.”

A slice of cake here and there has only added to his enthusiasm. “I don’t count calories because I like chocolate caramel cake,” he quipped. “I’ve already had a slice during the week. I should be good to go.”