UPDATE ON OX'S INJURY

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has confirmed that star prop Ox Nché’s leg injury is serious and will likely rule him out for the rest of South Africa’s end-of-year tour.

The powerful loosehead went down in the first half of the Boks’ 61-7 win over Japan at Wembley after twisting his ankle and knee in a ruck. He was later seen on crutches, and Erasmus admitted the outlook “doesn’t look good.”

“It’s pretty serious,” Erasmus said.

“I don’t think he’ll play the rest of this tour. It happened in a tackle situation - his ankle and knee – so unfortunately, he’s out.”

The coach added that a replacement would be called up soon, with Asenathi Ntlabakanye the frontrunner. Ntlabakanye, who played for the Barbarians in Brentford over the weekend, is already in England and ready to step in.

Gerhard Steenekamp impressed after replacing Nché and is expected to take over the starting role, while Thomas du Toit will return next week to provide cover on both sides of the scrum.

Losing Nché, who’s widely regarded as one of the best looseheads in world rugby, is a major blow for the Boks, who face France, Italy, Ireland, and Wales in a tough run of fixtures.

Captain Siya Kolisi admitted the next game in Paris will be “a massive step up,” warning that the team needs to be smarter and more physical to handle the pressure of playing France away.

Image credit: Planet Rugby