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Ox Nche's four word statement after leaving Springboks tour early
By Josh Raisey
South Africa loosehead prop Ox Nche has said that he “will be back soon” after returning home with a leg injury just one match into their Autumn Nations Series campaign.
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The 30-year-old sustained a knee and ankle injury in the first half of the Springboks’ 61-7 victory over Japan at Wembley on Saturday, and was flown home the following day to undergo scans in South Africa.
Nche has been replaced in the squad by Asenathi Ntlabakanye, who was also in London representing the Barbarians against an All Blacks XV, ahead of their showdown with France this weekend.
In a message shared on social media on Tuesday, Nche offered hope to fans by writing, “will be back soon”.
The World Cup winner will now have a six-month hiatus from Springbok duty, but there will be no such rest on the club scene with the Sharks continuing their United Rugby Championship campaign at the end of the month before switching their attention to the Investec Champions Cup. While there is no official update on the state of his leg, this message provides hope to Sharks fans who have seen their side only pick up one victory in their opening five matches of the season.
Will be back soon🙏🏾🇿🇦. pic.twitter.com/x3SHJ2Uoav
— Retshegofaditswe Nche (@oxnche) November 4, 2025
“We feel for Ox, and we wish him all the best with his injury and recovery,” said South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus.
“It’s always tough to lose a player of his calibre, but Asenathi is a capped Springbok and he has been with us for a large part of the season, so he is familiar with our structures and systems.
“Adding to that, he was on our standby list for the tour, so there was always a chance he would be called up if we suffered an injury. Fortunately, he was in London already, so he arrived at the team hotel this morning and will be able to slot back into action immediately, which is fantastic for us.”
