Ox Nche had to work twice as hard to make it back for the Boks

Springbok prop Ox Nche had to work twice as hard as the rest of his teammates to prove his fitness and make it into the final 33-man World Cup squad ahead of the showpiece event kicking off in France next month.

Nche tore his pectoral muscle during a gym session before the Rugby Championship and has since missed the Boks‘ last four games, but is set to make his return off the bench in their warm-up match against Wales in Cardiff on Saturday.

ALSO READ: Getting into World Cup squad makes sacrifices worth it, says Ox Nche

He is now fired up to get back on the field and prove that he is back to his best and ready to challenge for a place in the starting line-up going into the World Cup.  

“As a player that was injured, you have to do more than what they (the other players) are doing,” explained Nche during a Bok press conference on Wednesday afternoon.

“You have to load your body more, you have to in a sense come back fitter than they (the other players) 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.

“When you have an injury, you have to work twice as hard as the other players so that you can prepare yourself for the collisions and demands of the game, so it’s good to be here.”

Slightly worried

Before the World Cup squad announcement last week Nche, who started playing rugby at a late age in his childhood, admitted to being slightly worried about making the group due to the form of some of the players during the time that he was out with injury.

“It crossed my mind a few times that I may not make the World Cup group because everyone was playing well and the team was progressing nicely. But I’m grateful to be here and I plan to give my best,” said Nche.

“I was an academic at school and played sport for fun. I didn’t take it seriously until I fell in love with rugby. But it just shows that if you love something, work hard and put your mind to it, anything is possible.”

Aiming to impress

Looking onto the Welsh clash Nche is eager to take his opportunity to play to impress and is particularly looking forward to the tough forward battle that they expect from the hosts.

“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,” said Nche.

“Wales are pretty disruptive in the set pieces, and they try to lure the opposition into the way they want to scrum and maul. So, it’s going to be important for us to stick together and execute our plan.”