Tonga captain Ben Tameifuna wanted Springbok loosehead prop Ox Nche’s jersey after scrumming against him at the 2023 World Cup.
The two went head to head during the Pool B match in Marseille, which the Springboks won 49-18.
At 150kg, tighthead prop Tameifuna outweighs Nche by 20kg, but it was the South African who dominated.
“The first scrum, we hit in and I just felt my spine go ‘cluck, cluck, cluck’ down my back, so that was a first, I guess,” Tameifuna said on the Aotearoa Rugby Podcast.
“Yeah, he is so powerful. I remember chatting to him after the game, and he is pretty quiet on the sideline but just such a strong scrummager and so quick. I would like to have his jersey.”
Tameifuna, though, ended up swapping jerseys with Springbok captain Siya Kolisi.
“I wanted to change with Ox at the World Cup, but Siya beat me to it,” he said.
Photo: RvS Media/Sylvie Failletaz
