Ox Nche has deflected attention away from a potential scrum duel with Wilco Louw, insisting the focus in the Sharks camp is on collective pack performance rather than individual matchups ahead of their URC clash against the Stormers in Cape Town.
Nche came off the bench to contribute to a dominant Sharks scrum display in last week's 26-20 victory over Leinster, with the Durban side winning multiple scrum penalties that helped shift momentum and territory in their favour. The Stormers are set to bolster their matchday squad with additional Springbok inclusions this week, with Louw among those expected to feature.
"It's always exciting when you go up against guys you play with. It's obviously a great challenge to play against him, but I don't see it as a 'me' thing," said Nche. "It's more about what we can do as a pack and how well we prepare. Essentially we have to work together as a pack to make sure we achieve what we want to at the end of the day."
Nche highlighted the territorial value of winning scrum penalties. "You win like 30 to 40 metres if you get a penalty from a scrum. It just gives the team momentum, and we can play in their half and put pressure on them. We probably didn't expect to do it that well because calls could go 50-50, but it was one of our focuses and I think it did make a big difference."
Sharks scrum coach Philip Lemmer attributed the set-piece improvement to a standards-driven culture within the squad. "Each guy keeps the guy next to him accountable, and that's the only way we can drive standards. We are not marking 100 percent or 90 percent; we are marking the standards — whether Ox nailed his job or not. If you do that, the results and the good stats will come."