Ox Nche is enjoying his cake while bossing it for the Springboks as he is set to make his return.
Springbok prop Ox Nche says he was so worried about not making the World Cup squad that he even considered going easy on his favourite nutrition – chocolate caramel cake.
But that thought did not last, and he just trained harder than ever instead.
“It’s too late in the day to change my eating habits,” Nche laughed yesterday during a press conference in Cardiff.
“But yes, I was worried about not making the squad. When you are injured, you watch your rivals playing well, and all you can do is train twice as hard when you are able.
“In fact, you have to aim to come back fitter than you ever were, because you are behind the guys who have been playing. Nothing beats game conditioning.”
In reality, Nche was always going to be picked for the squad, and on Saturday against Wales (4.15pm kickoff), he has a great opportunity to show that he is at his cake-munching best.
“I’ve already had a slice during this week, so I should be good to go,” he smiled.
“I don’t count calories, I count slices!
Some wholesome @oxnche content. 💚🐂
— Jared Wright (@jaredwright17) August 16, 2023
"I don't count calories, I count slices of cake." pic.twitter.com/TYCkFSZ5ab
“I am excited that I am finally getting a chance to play,” Nche said with more seriousness.
“My focus is doing my best and making a good impression in this Test.
“I am excited for the World Cup, but it is all about getting back to full confidence and to where I left off, and building on that.”
The Bok tight five is substantially more experienced than their Welsh counterparts, but Nche warns that the men in red are crafty campaigners.
“(Wales) are very disruptive at the set-piece,” Nche said.
“They want to lure you into the maul the way they want you to maul, and scrum the way they want you to scrum. They put a lot of doubt into most packs.
“We must stick together as a unit ... We have a good system in place, and we have a plan as well to counter-act that.
“We have played against most of them in the (United Rugby Championship) and as much as they might not be as experienced as people say they are, they have gathered a lot of caps for their clubs.”
@MikeGreenaway67