Springboks Tinker With Tactics, Move Away From Controversial Bench Split, Adopting A 5/3 Approach
By Priscilla Jepchumba
South Africa's head coach, Rassie Erasmus, has made significant alterations to the Springboks' lineup, implementing a total of 12 changes from the squad that convincingly defeated Scotland 32-15 in the Autumn Nations Series.
As they prepare to take on England in London, the Springboks have notably abandoned their controversial ‘Bomb Squad’ strategy, which relied on a selection of seven forwards and one back from the bench in their last match. Instead, for the game against England, the coaching staff has opted for a more balanced approach, employing a 5-3 bench configuration consisting of five forwards and three backs.
Erasmus commented on his approach, seemingly a tactical one. “England poses a completely different challenge to Scotland, and we selected our squad based on what we would like to do in the match and also what we think will be best to counter the challenge England poses,” said Erasmus.
Among the starting forwards, only three—Ox Nche, Bongi Mbonambi, and Eben Etzebeth—retain their positions from the victorious match against Scotland. The backline, however, features a fresh lineup. Manie Libbok is set to start at flyhalf, while Grant Williams will take on the role of scrumhalf.
“Fortunately, we have quite a few players who can switch positions if necessary, so we feel we have adequate depth throughout the team, which allowed us to select this group of replacements,” added Erasmus.
Aphelele Fassi, Cheslin Kolbe, and Kurt-Lee Arendse fill the wings and fullback. In the midfield, Jesse Kriel partners with Damian de Allende. The substitutes include versatile forwards Malcolm Marx and Vincent Koch, along with backs Cobus Reinach and Handre Pollard.
Erasmus explained these changes by highlighting the challenging nature of facing England, admitting that they are a formidable opponent saying, “England come off two narrow defeats, but the quality of their performances was good in both matches, so we size of the challenge.”
“We lost narrowly to Ireland and France in back-to-back matches in 2022 and a year later were world champions, so we know we shouldn’t read anything into the last two results,” he stated, also acknowledging England's solid performances leading up to their losses against France and Ireland.
The decision to return to the traditional 5-3 bench split has sparked discussions within rugby circles, especially following Erasmus's previous use of a 7-1 arrangement.
Esteemed rugby analyst Stephen Jones criticized World Rugby for what he perceives as an overabundance of substitutions permitted during matches. The current rule allows for up to eight replacements.
Jones argued that this trend favors larger players, thus increasing the sport's inherent risks. He advocated for more stringent limits on replacements to enhance player safety. Adding to this discourse, former Scotland coach Matt Williams also expressed disapproval of the Springboks' tactics, labeling them as risky and detrimental to the spirit of the game.