Ox Nche, the big burly Bok forward, has opened up about the importance of self care and how he takes care of himself before and after matches.

The Springbok forward, whose given name is Retshegofaditswe Nche, was part of the Boks team that recently beat the All Blacks back-to-back in Joburg and Cape Town recently.

Nche, who also stars for The Sharks, says he considers self care and taking care of yourself important.

“It’s easy for people to make assumptions. With my personality, people would think I'm this mean or serious guy that is just on the field to bulldoze those people.

“For me I think it’s not just about how you look on the outside but also how you feel on the inside,“ Nche told IOL on Tuesday.

The 29-year-old Bloemfontein-born rugby star was speaking to IOL on the sidelines of the Rooftop Bryanston, where he was announced as the champion of care for Dove Men.

Nche was part of a panel that spoke on the importance of self care with retired football goalkeeper Brian Baloyi, former cricketer Monde Zondeki, clinical psychologist Anele Siswana and comedian Donovan Goliath, who was the event host.

When asked what self care means to him, Nche shared that for him it is about taking care of every aspect of your being whether it's your mental, emotional or physical wellbeing.

He said what you eat and drink, whether you exercise or not , checking your spiritual growth and learning on a daily basis as well as connecting to whatever God you believe in were all important aspects.

“Don’t just just suppress emotions but actually allow yourself to feel emotions, be honest with yourself if you are not ok, be able to admit it,” said Nche.

He believes that mental and emotional wellbeing coexist in the sense that when a person knows that they have a problem then they can seek out help.

The rugby star is not just all talk and no action as he actually does practise taking care of himself before and after every game.

One of the panellists, clinical psychologist Siswana shared how holistic care caters to a range of things on a continuous basis. He also said men go through a lot but don’t have much to hang on to.

“Ideally the idea of care for me as a clinical psychologist, I always encourage people to look at their mental state. The beautiful thing about care when it comes to us being humans, you can’t categorise in terms of gender.

“The idea of care is a human experience, but in the way we understand it as men when we have been socialised to care for the other. We need to prioritise the idea of individual care,” said Siswana.

Staying Calm

Meanwhile, before every game, Nche shared that he usually tries to be as calm as possible. He shies away from anything that would push him to explain himself emotionally because he knows of the pressure that awaits him.

After a game he prefers to have some alone time or spend some time with his teammates chilling and talking about the game or how the week has been and checking in on each other.

At times while indulging in a good dessert, his favourite dessert is a local classic, Malva pudding with warm custard.

Comedian Donovan Goliath, Springboks rugby player Retshegofaditswe Ox Nche, retired football goalkeeper Brian Baloyi, cricket player Monde Zondeki, clinical psychologist Anele Siswana at the Dove Men event in Sandton. Picture: Supplied

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