Nick Mallett says scrumming powerhouse Ox Nche’s absence will have a ripple effect on the Bok front row.

Nche will miss the remaining four Tests of the Boks’ year-end tour through an injury sustained in Saturday’s 61-7 hammering of Japan at Wembley Stadium. Speaking to the media following the match, coach Rassie Erasmus revealed that Nche sustained a serious ankle and knee injury during the match and is not expected to recover before the tour concludes.

MORE: Rassie provides Ox injury update

“It’s pretty serious,” said Erasmus. “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.

“We’ve got Gerhard Steenekamp, who played well tonight, and Thomas du Toit back next week. But if another loosehead goes down, we’ll be in trouble, so we’ll probably bring in Asenathi Ntlabakanye. Thomas can swing between tighthead and loosehead for us if needed,” Erasmus explained.

Ntlabakanye, who featured for the Barbarians against an All Blacks XV in Brentford on Saturday, is now expected to link up with the Boks as loosehead cover.

Reacting to the injury news on the Talking Boks podcast, Mallett said Nche’s loss would be felt immediately given his dominance at scrum time and his consistency in recent seasons.

“Well, that throws a whole new aspect on the rest of the tour because he is so dominant,” said the former Bok coach. “With [Steven] Kitshoff or Beast [Mtawarira] we’ve been really privileged to have looseheads who get on top of their opponents.

“Now with young Jan-Hendrik Wessels out for eight games, he was also backing the Boks up on the loosehead side. So there’s quite a lot of work to do there now with Stenna (Gerhard Steenekamp) and Boan Venter. With those guys, maybe we just won’t quite get the dominance as with Ox.”

KEO: Rassie’s Boks balance present and future

The Boks face France, Italy, Ireland and Wales this month.

Photo: Paul Harding/Getty Images

The post Mallett: Losing Ox changes everything appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.

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