Nche hopes for sweet taste of success in Rugby World Cup final

South Africa's Ox Nche smiled as he reeled off the desserts he had tasted during the Rugby World Cup in France following Saturday's semifinal win over England.

"I've had the caramel salted cheesecake, triple chocolate and a decent toffee cake," the tight-head prop said gleefully after his key performance off the bench.

Sweet-toothed Nche, 28, came on in the final half an hour of the game, and his crucial interventions at set pieces helped the Springboks into this Saturday's historic final where they face fellow three-time winners New Zealand.

Of the six completed scrums during Nche's time on the field, the Boks claimed four penalties including Handre Pollard's match-winning shot at goal that sealed the nail-biting 16-15 win.

"To put up a performance like he did last night, I think that is tremendous," South Africa assistant coach Deon Davids said on Sunday.

After his starring role in the England win, retailer Woolworths even offered Nche a year's supply of chocolate cake.

Things could have been different though as his World Cup was in doubt after he suffered a pectoral injury in the gym in July.

The bearded Nche missed the Rugby Championship before returning for pre-tournament warm-ups against Wales and New Zealand and has featured in all of the holders' World Cup fixtures.

Nche is known as Ox, a perfect moniker when you compare his body-build to a heavy-set bullock, rather than his given name of Retshegofaditswe which means 'We are blessed' in Tswana.

He grew up in a rural village between Bloemfontein and Lesotho and played for the University of Free State and was part of South Africa's Baby Boks set-up in 2015, helping the side to third place in the world under-20s championship.

"I have been fortunate enough to coach