Skinstad: 'Ox Nché will be the fulcrum of the Sharks and Boks scrum for years to come'

Former Springbok loose-forward Bob Skinstad followed last weekend’s Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) matches and was most impressed by Sharks prop Ox Nché.

Skinstad said Springbok forward Nché caught his eye in the Sharks' nail-biting 22-22 draw against the Stormers with his solid showing in the scrums against veteran Steven Kitshoff.

“I think Ox Nché did an outstanding job, particularly with Steven Kitshoff in the Stormers scrum. I have no doubt that Ox will be the fulcrum of the Sharks scrum and the Springboks for many years,”

Though Nché stood out for him, Skinstad was also captivated by the quality of the match where an absorbing 80 minutes ended with the teams level on the scoreboard.

“I can’t remember when last I’ve seen a penalty kick timed out and Boeta Chamberlain, who was good once again, made up for it with a cracking long-range drop goal.

“And then you had Siya Kolisi telling the ref he didn’t score and it [the ball] was held up. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that, which shows you the measure of the man.

“And again, that’s this competition. There’s always something new. And then you had the Aphelele Fassi penalty try, which it definitely was, in the final moments that gave the Stormers the draw.

“I thought the Stormers’ Deon Fourie had a nice impact on the game and pushed the envelope around the fringes, which he needs to do as a loose-forward.

“ Lukhanyo Am, before his yellow card, and Kolisi really added their power to this match. Overall, I think it was a weekend that evens matters out a bit.

“As long as the northern hemisphere teams are taking points off each other it gives the SA teams a great opportunity to take advantage when they come back into the international mix in March.

“Home wins will be important for them, so it all sets up nicely from now onwards.”

Skinstad was impressed by veteran kicker Morné Steyn in the Bulls’ 34-10 victory over the Lions.

“Steyn controlled the match from the first minute and was a symbol of the calmness and organised nature of the Bulls. I think this result helped them claw back some ground to the dominance they had at the beginning of the season.

“Arno Botha carried the ball well. The Lions had two tries recalled, but they made too many mistakes.

“Though I thought Fred Zeilinga was good with the ball out of hand and on defence and Jaco Kriel made some good carries.”