South African prop Ox Nche has been a key figure in South Africa's march to a Rugby World Cup final, according to former Ireland international Donal Lenihan.
The Springboks have edged out both hosts France and a resurgent England by the bare minimum in the knockout stages, with old foes New Zealand standing in their way of back-to-back World Cup glory and a fourth outright victory overall.
Key to their narrow victories has been the collective performance of the forwards, and in particular their scrum, with their bench often reinforcing their traditional strength at set-piece.
Replacement props Vincent Koch and Nche appeared seven minutes apart early in the second half against England and had a significant impact in the outcome of the game.
England lost two scrums on their own ball – the first since their opening game – including on the hour mark when they were leading 15-6 and deep in opposition territory.
In the closing minutes and with the Springboks trailing by two, English replacement prop Ellis Genge was penalised for dropping to his knees on a Springboks put-in, allowing Handre Pollard to kick the match-winning score.
Speaking on Against the Head, Lenihan said the South African strength has come at a tournament where so much focus has been on the scrum.
"It’s amazing how central the scrum has become in this World Cup. Certainly, it has played a huge role in South Africa getting there (to the final)," he said.
"My good friend Des Fitzgerald, former Ireland prop, he always said, 'the scrum is only important when you don’t have one’.
"They (South Africa) have found a way and a means to punish teams if they have any weaknesses whatsoever."
While Steven Kitshoff and Frans Malherbe have been the starting props in the knockout stages, the introduction of Kock and Nche, has if anything, improved matters in the scrum.
As far as Lenihan is concerned, it marks the holders out from the rest.
"To win this World Cup, all 23 have to be truly international class. You go back to the semi-final when South Africa beat France. France had only one weakness in my view, the reserve tighthead prop, Dorian Aldegheri, wasn’t quite up to the mark," he said.
It's not exactly their 'secret weapon' but the success of South Africa at the World Cup has been built off the back of their scrum and Donal Lenihan believes it gives them a huge advantage over other teams. #RTErugby #AgainstTheHead pic.twitter.com/j86sDN1dWx
— RTÉ Rugby (@RTErugby) October 23, 2023
"When Uini Atonio went off, South Africa found a way to attack him.
"They (South Africa) have also been clever. They save their best scrummager, Ox Nche, an out-and-out destroyer of a loosehead. Ulster-bound Steven Kitshoff is an outstanding rugby player and a good scrummager, but he’s not as destructive as Nche.
"When he has come on, that has been a key factor in SA getting to the final."
Watch New Zealand v South Africa in the Rugby World Cup final on Saturday from 7pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on RTE.ie/Sport or the RTÉ News app
