Springbok loosehead prop Ox Nche expects a much-improved Australian scrum at Ellis Park on Saturday.
The Boks beat the Wallabies twice last year – 33-7 in Brisbane and 30-12 in Perth – before going on to win the Rugby Championship title.
In the second encounter, a dominant Bok pack was left disappointed when scrums became uncontested after the hosts lost three props to injuries.
The Wallabies head into the 2025 Rugby Championship opener on the back of a bruising series against the British & Irish Lions, where their pack held its own, while the Bok forwards remain as formidable as ever.
“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,” said Nche on Wednesday. “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.
“We saw in the Lions series how solid their pack is – you’ve got 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.”
Nche is likely to come up against tighthead prop Taniela Tupou on Saturday.
“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.”
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Nche says the Wallabies will be eager to make a statement against the world champions.
“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.”
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Photo: Morgan Hancock/Getty Images
The post Ox: Wallabies didn’t like to scrum last year appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.