The Sharks need a win, mostly likely with a bonus point, to stand a chance of reaching the play-offs of the premier European competition, and after a disappointing 26-10 defeat to Sale Sharks with a second-string side this past weekend, should be back to full strength.
“The aim is to get maximum points,” Nche said. “We want to win and hopefully pick up extra points as well to improve our points difference (currently –48). We’re going all in and seeing this as a playoff match.
“Clermont play a very expansive game. Even though they’ve got a big French pack, they like to offload and play with tempo. They’ve been very consistent in how they play.
“It’s going to be a good challenge for us. We need to contain their forwards so their backs don’t get opportunities to shine.”
Much has been made about teams sending second-string sides to matches as coaches try to manage the heavy workload placed on professional players these days.
But Nche says teams, and players, simply have to adapt to the modern game and its punishing schedule.
“It’s our job to play rugby,” he said. “We were used to playing one competition before (Super Rugby), and now these competitions require bigger squads and more rotation than we were used to.
“We just have to adapt. I actually think it will raise the quality of players coming through, because more guys get exposure. Every team has to find the right balance, make sure they’ve got fresh players, and that everyone is at a similar level.”