Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus has responded after World Rugby addressed the controversial Bomb Squad following criticism in certain parts of the game.<\/b><\/p>\n
There has been criticism from some sections of the sport, particularly in Ireland, over the move towards forward-heavy benches, which was started by South Africa.<\/p>\n
In 2019, Erasmus\u2019<\/a> men predominately went with a split of six forwards and two backs to win the Rugby World Cup before moving to a 7-1 at times four years later.<\/p>\n France have since adopted that tactic to great effect in the Six Nations as they claimed the title with dominant victories over Italy, Ireland and Scotland.<\/p>\n In all three of those encounters, they used the 7-1 bench and, despite the obvious risk it brings, it paid off as they won their first championship since 2022, and just their second in 15 years.<\/p>\n Bomb Squad concerns<\/p>\n There have been concerns that going down this road could lead to more injuries and make the game more dangerous, but that is not the case according to research done by the global governing body.<\/p>\n \u201cWe looked at it from a science, medicine perspective. Was there a distinctive view that a bunch of fresh players coming on with 20-30 minutes to go is going to create a more injurious position, and the science said that\u2019s not the case,\u201d World Rugby<\/a> chief executive Alan Gilpin told the Guardian.<\/p>\n \u201cSo there was no reason from that perspective to look at how we might do replacements differently. Ultimately, there are a lot of different ways to win a rugby match.\u201d<\/p>\n Erasmus therefore took to X, formerly Twitter, to express his delight that World Rugby are not looking at changing the bench laws.<\/p>\n \u201cSo Lekka,\u201d was the Springboks<\/a> head coach\u2019s response before he added South Africa and France flag emojis.<\/p>\n The Boks boss will hope the governing body continues to stand firm as the \u2018Bomb Squad\u2019 has come under increasing scrutiny over the past couple of years.<\/p>\n Ireland legend Keith Wood was a critic during the 2023 World Cup while Irish-based Australian pundit Matt Williams has been consistently vocal about it.<\/p>\n South Africa provided Rugby World Cup hosting lifeline due to government <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n World Rugby make position clear on Springboks Bomb Squad tactic after scientific research<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n Even Scotland boss Gregor Townsend has expressed reservations despite sometimes going with forward-heavy benches during the recent Six Nations.<\/p>\n They were stung in the match against Ireland after losing two backs in one incident in the first half when Finn Russell and Darcy Graham clashed heads, forcing them to rejig the backline.<\/p>\n The Scots would eventually succumb 32-18 to Simon Easterby\u2019s men and it led to Williams\u2019 latest rant about the bench tactics.<\/p>\n