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The Koch verdict on his Bomb Squad's five/three bench reshuffle

(Photo by Richard Huggard/Gallo Images)

Replacement prop Vincent Koch has insisted that the Springboks’ famed ‘Bomb squad’ won’t lose its assertiveness despite a five/three forwards/back bench split. Springboks head coach Jacques Nienaber has discarded the preferred six/two bench split between forwards and backs for this Saturday’s Rugby Championship clash against Australia in Adelaide.

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The ‘Bomb Squad’ tactic came under scrutiny in the last few weeks following the 23-35 round two defeat to the All Blacks as the world champions found themselves in a conundrum when wing Jesse Kriel left the field in the opening minutes at Ellis Park. It meant that the backline had to be reshuffled, resulting in a lot of players having to play out of position.

In the wake of the defeat, the coach admitted having two backline players on the bench was a big risk and he has now opted to select three backline players on the bench as his team looks to bounce back versus the Wallabies.

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Nienaber has brought in fly-half Elton Jantjies as an extra backs replacement and also swapped Frans Steyn for Willie le Roux at No23. Scrum-half Jaden Hendrikse is the other backline player on the bench with back-row forward Jasper Wiese not named in the matchday squad to allow the inclusion of the third backs replacement.

A move like this may weaken the impact of the ‘Bomb Squad’, especially regarding the forward battle in the closing stages. However, sub tighthead Koch insisted the reshuffle from a six/two bench split to five/three will not be a big issue.

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“I don’t think it will have a massive impact, each one in the bomb squad have a specific role,” said the prop “Whether it is a six/two or five/three bench split, we all know what to do when we get on the field. I don’t think the dynamic will change much. Once we get a chance to get on the pitch we just have to make sure we keep the intensity where the starters left off.”

Koch revealed the Wallabies pack will pose a new challenge for the Springboks, who were under pressure during their last outing against the All Blacks. “Australia has a really good pack. They have a good front row on the bench as well so it is going to be a challenge for us, but our focus is mainly on ourselves and how we can be better. It is going to be a good challenge.”

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Soliloquin 19 minutes ago
Why New Zealand learned more from their July series than France

Hastoy was a good prospect before the 2023 RWC, he was the fly-half who led La Rochelle to the victory in the Champions Cup final in Dublin against Leinster.

But he made it to the squad only because Ntamack got his ACL.

He played against Uruguay, which a terribly poor game by the French side, and since then he declined a bit, alongside his club.

Under the pressure of Reus and West at 10, he regained some credit at the end of the season (among all a drop at the 81st minute of a game).

He’s quite good everywhere, but not outstanding.

He doesn’t have the nerves, the defense and the tactical brain of Ntamack, the leadership and the creativity of Ramos or the exceptional attacking skills of Jalibert.


I really hope that:

-Ntamack will get his knee back. The surgery went well. He wasn’t the most elusive player in the world, but he was capable of amazing rushes like the one against NZ in 2021 or the Brennus-winning try in 2023.

-Jalibert will continue to improve his defense. He started working hard since March (after his defensive disaster against England) with a XIII specialist, and I’ve seen great moments, especially against Ntamack in the SF of the Champions Cup. It’s never too late. And it would be a great signal for Galthié.

-Hastoy will build up his partnership with Le Garrec, that La Rochelle will start a new phase with them and Niniashvili, Alldritt, Atonio, Boudehent, Jegou, Bosmorin, Bourgarit, Nowell, Wardi, Daunivucu, Kaddouri, Pacôme…

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LONG READ Why New Zealand learned more from their July series than France Why New Zealand learned more from their July series than France