Ox Nche rubbishes notion of Welsh being fresh meat: 'A rookie could be the best player'

Ox Nche will still learn many lessons on his path to become a grizzled Springbok prop, but one thing he can already tell you is that the scrum is no exact science.

Despite being made aware of Wales coach Wayne Pivac complimenting the South Africans for being one of the best scumming outfits in the game, the 26-year-old is not suddenly going to tap himself and his teammates on the shoulders and operate on autopilot.

Instead, Nche believes both the Boks and Wales, who commence a three-Test series at Loftus on Saturday, start their set-piece battle on a blank canvas.

"I always say that it's an eight-man effort. If all our forwards pitch up on the day, you'll impose your presence in the scrums and deliver a good performance against them," said Nche."It doesn't mean that if we were dominant in the scrums in the last game that it will be the same this time. The team that performs the best in that area on the day will come out on top." 

READ | Wales coach Wayne Pivac rates supreme Springbok scrum as 'the best in the world'

Not even the possibility of him having to front up against a couple of Welsh rookies up front is enough to deter him from his view.

"I can tell you now, a 21-year-old rookie can have a lot more pride than a guy who's been a long time in the system," said Nche.

"I promise you that we never go into a game thinking that we'll have it relatively easy because there are a few youngsters we're coming up against. 

"Those youngsters could be the best players on the day. It's important to understand that any Welsh team is competitive. They know we're the No 1-ranked nation in the world and they want to prove something.

"It's important to consider." 

Nche's sentiments echo that of assistant coach Deon Davids.

"The set pieces are