Talented HTS Louis Botha old-boy 'Ox' has eyes set on excelling even further

Retshegofaditswe ‘Ox’ Nche may still have much to learn as a loosehead prop, but seems to have captivated the Free State crowd in the same way Tendai ‘Beast’ Mtawarira did at the Sharks. We find out more about the HTS Louis Botha old-boy who’s had to plough a path normally reserved for Grey College pupils

In the process of breaking two tackles against the Crusaders when setting up a controversially disallowed try, Retshegofaditswe "Ox" Nche reminded the Bloemfontein crowd of their favourite scrumming son, Pieter "Os" du Randt.

When the legendary double World Cup-winning Springbok prop was in his prime, the 21-year-old was still figuring out how the Oval-balled game works.

Sharks and Springbok prop Tendai "Beast" Mtawarira resonates more with Nche but hasn't forgotten about Du Randt's cult status in Bloemfontein.

story_article_left1

Nche said: "I never related the name Ox to Os even though they're similar and that's a name I've had since primary school. I may not have worked with Os while he was scrum coach but everyone knows how big he is in the Free State. He's a legend here ... There are those who are able to pronounce [my name] well but there's not much in a name.

"One has to respect the amount of work that 'Beast' has put in, not only for himself but just making sure he puts African players on the map through his performances.

"I really admire him for that because when you see a player like him perform, you get encouraged."

Bloemfontein's school rugby powerhouse, Grey College, has rolled off 45 Springboks from its smooth conveyor belt.

The majority have come in the post-World War 2 period.

Since 1992, they have produced 12 front-row forwards and six of them are props.

Coming from the less heralded Louis Botha Technical High School, Nche was always going to swim against the tide.

Mtawarira's emergence along with Lawrence Sephaka's dominant early millennium showings dispelled the notion that black players should be shipped off to the wing.

Trevor Nyakane has also given black props a platform but Nche knows he's still off Springbok reckoning despite growing in leaps and bounds this season. Nche was part of the first Springbok training camp earlier this year.

Having adequately filled Nyakane's shoes at the Cheetahs, he is seemingly equipped to deal with the cut-and-thrust propping business in the Free State.

"Playing in the Free State, I've always known that to be somewhere near the best, you have to be on par, if not better than the props coming out of Grey College.

story_article_right2

"It's one of the best, if not the best rugby school in the country.

"That's something that's pretty good for me as a player because as a youngster, you know at some point those guys are probably better than you," Nche said.

"At some point, you know you have to step up your game and even now you know there are better players in the game than you and that's how you learn to better yourself and adapt.

"An example has been this year's Super Rugby tournament where I've constantly had to learn and adapt."

The Cheetahs' indifferent season in the midst of their Super Rugby uncertainty has seen head coach Franco Smith having to counter-punch suggestions his team does not cut the mustard.

The Cheetahs haven't been shrinking violets but at the time of print, they have dropped seven consecutive matches after their loss to the Highlanders on Friday evening.

Granted, they've had to deal with the might of the New Zealand side but the same fate befell the woefully under-prepared Southern Kings last season. Nche said it had been a difficult time for the team but it's also taught him to focus on his own game.

"The least you can do is to focus on being a better player. That's the least you can do because you have to focus on the things you can control and your performance is one of them. You have to take things as they come and I need to focus on my game. I can't predict what can happen and I need to focus on myself," Nche said.

sports@timesmedia.co.za