If rugby battles are won in the trenches, then Ellis Park on Saturday is about to host a heavyweight slugfest where the front rows are the gladiators and the scrum is the colosseum. And Ox Nche, the Springboks’ immovable loosehead prop, is bracing for an Australian pack that’s licking its chops and looking far more dangerous than the one the Boks tamed last year.
The Springboks battered the Wallabies in 2024, 33-7 in Brisbane and 30-12 in Perth, on their march to the Rugby Championship crown. But one of those clashes still leaves a bitter taste. In Perth, after three Wallaby props fell to injury, the match descended into the rugby equivalent of a handshake agreement with uncontested scrums. For a pack that prides itself on bending opposition spines, it was like taking a sword from a knight mid-duel.
They’ve got some good new combinations, and a lot of players who have also played together for a while, so they’ll be a big challenge. They didn’t like to scrum too much last year and had a few tricks up their sleeves, but I think they’ve improved a lot in that department.
Evidence of that improvement came during Australia’s bruising recent series against the British & Irish Lions, where the Wallaby pack stood its ground against one of the most revered forward units in the game. Nche took notes.
We saw in the Lions series how solid their pack is. You have guys like Will Skelton, Taniela Tupou, and even the players coming off the bench. They compete well at lineout time and win most of their ball, so they’ve got the right combinations now.
And then there’s Tupou, the hulking “Tongan Thor”, who will likely square up directly against Nche this weekend. It’s not their first encounter.
I’ve scrummed against Tupou a couple of times, including back when I played in Australia. He’s a good, explosive guy who knows what he’s doing, so we just have to be well-prepared.
The Wallabies, Nche warns, won’t be content to simply keep parity in the set pieces, they’ll be coming for a statement scalp.
Last year’s uncontested scrums in the second Test were frustrating and took away a lot of our firepower. From their recent matches, they seem fired up in all areas. We’re ranked No 1 in the world, so for them, if they can match us in the set piece, they can then try to impose their strengths. I think they’ll be more up for it than ever.
The message from the Ox is clear that the scrum battle will be a test of pride, power, and precision. And the Wallabies, armed with new steel in their forward pack, might just fancy their chances of locking horns with the world’s best.
