Ox Nche reveals Bok scrum tactics and why Frans Malherbe is so hard to beat

The World Cup-winning loosehead prop praised Malherbe's straightforward scrummaging style and his ability to adapt under pressure, while also highlighting the subtle tactics he uses to gain an edge over opposing props.

Nche made the comments on the For the Love of Rugby SA podcast alongside fellow Springbok front-rowers Trevor Nyakane and Steven Kitshoff.

When Kitshoff posed the question of the best scrummager he has come up against, Nche chose Malherbe - despite Nyakane's attempts to steer the answer in another direction.

"It would have to be Buffel [Frans Malherbe]," Nche said.

Laughing off the snub, Nyakane agreed: "He can give you a tough one, hey, once he starts leaning in there."

"And he has a bigger chest than you. So if you had a bigger chest, maybe you," Nche joked.

With Malherbe getting the nod in the scrummaging department, Kitshoff hoped Nche would give Nyakane some love with the pace, asking which of the pair would win a 40m.

"Buffel [Buffalo] has longer legs, also," Nche laughed. Nyakane disagreed, saying, "There is no way," but the former stuck by his guns, backing Malherbe.

"Talking about Frans, he's had such an incredible Springbok career, and you and Trev have played against him and with him so many times, but for you, what makes him such a good scrummager, and why is it so difficult to actually scrum against him?" Kitshoff asked.

"What makes it 'Geez, this guy is one of the best tightheads in the world? What makes you feel like that?'"

"Frans is always willing to learn," Nche replied. "He's open to whatever you have to say, but he just wants to be comfortable in the scrum; that's his whole aim.

"When I am scrumming with him, he'll tell me, 'Relax, I'm going to sort out my guy, just sort out your guy, so that we can be fine.' It's the simplest thing. He can communicate like that, and he learns on the go, and he is able to adapt easily. He will realise, 'This guy is quicker than me. Okay.' And he gets lower than you or finds a way to keep his opponent out.

"He plans and reacts on the go, and that's what makes it difficult; you never know what you're getting on a day."

Nyakane says that being 'coachable' is important for a prop and added that it's key to listen to your scrum partner.

"Saying I'm feeling this, I'm feeling that, let's adapt together, and that's how you get a scrum going," the 36-year-old added.

A teammate of Malherbe's at the Stormers and Springboks, Kitshoff highlighted another 'impressive' attribute of the tighthead prop.

"Mid scrum Frans says, 'Go Ox go, hold your hips'," the retired front rower said with Nyakane pointing to Nche, saying: "They are the same; he also likes talking in the scrum.

"Most people in that situation can't breathe. You guys are chatting."

Nche agreed, "That's the best thing about him. Again, his whole aim is to be in a place where he is comfortable. That's why most guys will tell you that even if you get him on the head [and start to lift], he actually just lies on you, and you just give up, it's too late for you."

Another aspect of the scrum that the trio agreed was important was the mind games.

"He [Malherbe] makes it so uncomfortable," Kitshoff said.

"We often talk at the Springboks about making it personal, and it almost becomes like tough to make it personal, but we all know you love to get stuck in, give a little bit of a chirp afterwards, tell us about that mindset of like I'm going to make it super personal against this opponent I'm scrummaging against today."

This spurred Nche to share two underhanded ploys that he has used to get an edge over his opposition prop.

"I do enjoy the chat in the scrum. Obviously, the scrum is personal; it's a kind of one-on-one, but it's very mental too," the 30-year-old said.

"In one practice session, I was scrummaging with Frans, and I was against Vincent Koch, and he got a very good hit on me. Then I kept shape, and I said, 'I have him, I have him, I have him,' and immediately that made him panic. He was thinking, 'What do you mean?' and as he changed his shape, he immediately made space for me, and it was actually, now I have you."

He revealed that he has also deployed the 'gentlemen's agreement' ploy, but then he didn't hold up his side of the bargain.

"You don't scrum the same way every single time," he said.

"You change it up, you chirp a guy, and you're like, 'Oh, yeah. I know you don't want to be here. Listen, gentlemen's agreement.' And you scrum him afterwards."

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