Ox Nché has acknowledged the Springboks need to cut down on scrum resets while largely sidestepping Dave Rennie's accusation that the Boks were walking around at set pieces during Saturday's 33-26 win at DHL Stadium.
Rennie's post-match claim drew a sharp public rebuke from Rassie Erasmus, but Nché took a measured line, pointing to the referee as the final arbiter.
"Through the years, our scrum has always tried to go right through the pack," Nché said. "He probably sees it differently, or builds a perception about our pack, but that's why there are rugby laws — the man in the middle is always right, and we have to adapt. It's open to interpretation."
Nché was candid that the Boks' own execution was not clean, conceding they spent too much time at resets: "It's on us to just do better next week."
The loosehead earned his 50th Test cap during the match, coming off the bench in the 35th minute after replacing Gerhard Steenekamp — a late adjustment from his original starting berth that he accepted without complaint.
"I would have loved to start, but I trust the coaches. I believe in the system. And I understand that I'm here because of the team," he said.
Nché marked the milestone by reflecting on the journey that brought him to it, messaging a high school coach on the day. The occasion also coincided with Pieter-Steph du Toit becoming the Boks' 11th Test centurion.
The series is level at 1-1, with the decider to follow.