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'Smashed': Rodd on THAT Ox Nche hit and advice given by two Lions
Bevan Rodd getting forcefully driven back and landed on his arse in a dominant first-half tackle by Ox Nche was one of many moments on Saturday that prompted a huge vocal reaction from the capacity crowd packed into Twickenham to watch England. The hosts had been enjoying an opening period laced with potential and then there was the disturbing sight of Rood getting dumped backwards on 35 minutes by a rival Springboks prop in a brutal sign of what was to follow in the second half.
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The 21-year-old starting loosehead wasn’t around for much of that. With South Africa unleashing their entire front row bomb squad with a 44th-minute change, Eddie Jones decided four minutes later to bring on Joe Marler for Rodd at the worrying time when the England scrum was unravelling for tighthead Kyle Sinckler.
Having twice led in the first half by eleven-point margins, somehow England survived twice falling behind in the final 16 minutes of a November classic to claim the bragging rights and feel chuffed with their resilience two years after they fell away without a whimper in the World Cup final in Yokohama.
That was a day where the notion of playing Test rugby was far from Rodd’s horizon, the prop at the time thinking he could have been making his debut for Sale FC versus Birmingham Moseley having previously been at Fylde. Even then, he couldn’t fully appreciate his monumental achievement this weekend, heading away to get his eye stitched up yet again rather than seeking out one of the Springboks props and exchanging jerseys.
The only small talk with the opposition was with club colleague Lood de Jager and even that was just idle chit-chat about Sale where they both will be returning with the Premiership set to resume with next Sunday’s trip to Saracens.
"You sensed it would be epic for the moment you stepped out at Twickenham rail station…"
– @heagnel ??? on a classic England rugby day that will live long in the memory#England #ENGvRSA #AutumnNationsSeries #Springbokshttps://t.co/UJEwrjIowN
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 20, 2021
Anyway, back to that Nche hit that sent groans racing around the Twickenham stands with England fans wincing in empathic pain with Rodd. “Really good until the Ox smashed me on that carry,” said the youngster when asked to reflect on what was just his second-ever Test appearance. “It really hurt. I tried to get him back but he didn’t carry after that. It’s one of those things, it’s rugby – you get smashed sometimes.
“But apart from that, I thought I did quite well, especially at scrum time, but we slipped off in the second half and they got back in the game through that. If that didn’t happen it’s an easier second half for us.
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“I feel like I did better last week (on debut versus Australia). I did alright this week. I feel like I could have been better in certain areas but I’ll take it and hopefully just use it as preparation for my next one – if there is a next one.”
Rushed into the England team only last week after Covid ruled out Ellis Genge and Marler, it’s been a whirlwind ten or so days for the laidback Rodd who revealed some words of encouragement from a pair of Lions helped steeled him for what was the acid test of taking on the Springboks.
It all started so well, too, with referee Andrew Brace warning Trevor Nyakane after England gained supremacy at the early scrums. “It gives you confidence, it gives you excitement knowing that the refs are concerned about him. But Trevor is a world-class scrummager, he knows what he is doing and if I face him again he will come back more so I will look forward to that.
“On Tuesday we were having our scrum session and Alex Corbisiero came in and he gave me a few tips on how to deal with people who are heavier. He was saying he wasn’t always the heaviest when he was younger so that really helped me out and it meant a lot for him to give me advice when he didn’t need to.
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“When I do my certain game routine I don’t get as nervous but where I get nervous the most is after the warm-up and you come in and sit down in the changing room for five minutes – I just overthink it massively.
“Probably for that five minutes I get nervous, probably too nervous, but hopefully with age and experience I will stop getting as nervous but it would be impossible for me not to get nervous. Last week Tom Curry told me to grow up and get on with it, so I probably used that technique again.
“I still have my confidence but I know I still have a lot to learn. I reckon I have learned three things a day during the eight, nine days I have been here. I am 21, I am not the finished article yet but I have got tonnes of confidence now because we have beaten South Africa,” continued Rodd, who is currently living with his parents in Blackpool.
“I’m still the third choice. I feel like Marler and Ellis are better than me at the moment but this has hopefully put me in good stead to get more caps… and hopefully get in the World Cup squad.”
Comments on RugbyPass
I bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments