Johannesburg - When Vincent Koch made his way from Mbombela to Cape Town to play for the Stormers in Super Rugby, he didn’t think he’d be in contention for a spot in the Springboks’ World Cup squad a few months later.
Last year, Koch was still anchoring the Pumas scrum in the Currie Cup, and wasn’t even considered as one of the top-five tighthead props in the country.
But that sentiment changed in his first match for the Stormers, when he scrummed, ran and tackled the Bulls into oblivion on Valentine’s Day this year.
“I never imagined I’d be in this position when I first joined the Stormers,” Koch said. “It was always my goal to be a Springbok and to pull the green and gold over my head. But when I went to the Stormers, I only focused on my game and playing well in Super Rugby.
“But I think all the hard work and the hours put in have paid off.”
He earned the nickname ‘Mr Incredible’ because of his striking resemblance to the animated character. But he also showed his superpowers at scrum time, as he obliterated most looseheads he came up against in Super Rugby.
And now he will make his first appearance for the Boks, after he was selected on the bench for Saturday’s match against the World XV ahead of his Stormers teammate Frans Malherbe.
“We said we are going to use the Rugby Championship to see who can perform at the highest level,” coach Heyneke Meyer said yesterday. “Vince was impressive in Super Rugby, and I think this is the right game for him to show what he can do. He is going to come up against most of the Toulon pack, which is a great scrumming unit.
“It’s going to be a big test for him, but I felt this is the right game to give him a go. He has always been brilliant around the field, and we want to see if he can take it up to a higher level, especially scrumming at tighthead.”
Meyer said Malherbe, who was just as destructive for the Stormers in Super Rugby, will probably feature in next week’s match against Australia in Brisbane. But, in the meantime, Koch can try and stake a claim for a World Cup spot, even if Saturday’s clash is not an official Test. “It’s not a Test, but it doesn’t matter,” the big tighthead prop told reporters yesterday. “I know I’m not going to get my cap this weekend, but I’m just as excited as if I would have got my cap.
“We spoke about it, and we are not treating this as a friendly game, because any game in a Bok jersey is not a friendly, and the coach sees it as a Test. We have a lot of props at the moment, and we all have chance to go to the World Cup. I’m must just try to be the best I can be to earn a selection,” Koch added.
The Star