We must stick to the plan — Ox

The Herald

10 hours ago

All the Springboks' remaining Rugby Championship games are must-win affairs and they cannot afford any more mess-ups after a shock defeat against the Wallabies last week, prop Ox Nche said.
The powerful front-ranker issued a rallying call to his teammates before what promises to be a fiery rematch against the Australians in Cape Town on Saturday (kickoff 5.10pm).
Nche will serve as Bok vice-captain for the first time in his international career, which dates back to 2018 when he made his debut against Wales in Washington, DC.
Australia rocked the world champions by pulling off a sensational 38-22 comeback win in front of a stunned crowd at Ellis Park last weekend.
The Boks surrendered a 22-0 lead against the visitors who scored a rare win over their old rivals, who were left reeling in the face of a six-try onslaught.
'If we want to win the Rugby Championship, we have to win every single game,' Nche said.
'We have to build confidence, so Saturday's game against the Wallabies is a must-win, and we have to get as many points as we can.
'They just seemed more prepared than we were, and they used every opportunity they got, whereas we didn't.
'Everyone just started going off on their own plan instead of sticking to the plan we had as a team.
'For me personally, it means more hard work, more preparation.
'Whatever you did last week, do more of it.
'We've played against them and know how it felt. The only thing we can do is just execute every single thing better.'
Nche said the Boks had gone off script in the second half against a well-drilled Wallabies outfit.
'In the first half of the Ellis Park Test, we played very well, and played like we planned,' he said.
'In the second half, we tried too many different things. We were our own worst enemies.
'We didn't actually execute our plan. I think that was the main problem
'The Boks didn't get our processes right.
'Even when we were winning, we were quite hard on ourselves for the mere fact that we just couldn't tick our boxes.
'In Johannesburg, we ticked them in the first half, and then in the second half, we absolutely went off script.
'At halftime, the chat was simply to stick to the plan and execute things, as it was working. But we just went off the script in the second half.
'They scored three easy tries early on, and it wasn't from a good set piece. They were just more active and ready.'
Bok wing Canan Moodie said SA had to correct the wrongs that cost them dearly in Johannesburg.
'Everyone in the squad is extremely disappointed, and we are hurting,' he said.
'But as coach Rassie [Erasmus] said, we know what we have to do.
'This week we need to stack the positives and ensure that we stick to our plans on the day.
'Our defence has to complement our attack and our kicking game has to be spot on this week, so this is an important week for us.'
Erasmus said his team would have their backs to the wall in Cape Town.
'Everyone in the group agrees on what we have to do and what we need to get right this week, and our focus will go into that at training,' he said.
'There's still a lot of frustration and disappointment, but we know what we did wrong.
'They totally outplayed us. They scored some tries that weren't even from phases, and they gave us a hiding at the breakdown.
'We have our backs against the wall, and we know we have to make it right.'
'Everyone is embarrassed and disappointed, but I believe that will make us tighter as a team.
'One tends to learn a lot from a defeat, and that's surely something we'll carry into this week.'
The Herald