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The Mostert verdict on recent criticism of Springboks' bomb squad
By Rugby365
Springboks utility forward Franco Mostert has defended the ‘bomb squad’ amid recent public scrutiny. Questions surrounding the effectiveness of South Africa’s bench have surfaced following The Rugby Championship season.
The bomb squad was used to great effect during the Springboks’ 2019 World Cup triumph by Rassie Erasmus, the former Springboks coach and now SA director of rugby. The six-two split (six forwards and two backs on the bench) become entrenched in the nation’s history and was integral in their 32-12 win over England in the final.
Against Australia during this year’s Rugby Championship opener, the tactic again excelled, handing the Springboks a 43-12 victory in Pretoria. However, it was diffused by the All Blacks in a 20-35 defeat in Auckland.
New Zealand rushed to a 20-3 lead at the break and despite the world champions being a more determined unit in the second half with some big names coming off the bench, the All Blacks still managed to finish strongly to secure the win.
The defeat saw the Boks management under head coach Jacques Nienaber forgo the six-two split against Argentina last weekend, which almost proved to be costly as the pack struggled in the closing stages. They conceded two late tries but managed to hold on for a narrow 22-21 win in Johannesburg.
This Saturday in Buenos Aires, they will again take to the field with a five-three split and while concerns continue to pile up, Mostert, an original member of the 2019 World Cup bomb squad, said there was very little worry inside the camp. “The Springboks management – Rassie Erasmus, Jacques Nienaber and Felix Jones – all have good plans,” Mostert said.
“They are trying to work out combinations ahead of the World Cup, which is a good thing. They are looking at strong points and hopefully, it will work. There is no stress around the bomb squad. Rassie and the team have a plan and we back them 100 per cent.”
Heading into the World Cup warm-up match against a fired-up Argentinian side, Mostert urged his team to be more clinical at the lineout. “At the moment we are not happy with it. We can be more clean and positive with our own ball.
"We are working on it and working to get it right closer towards the World Cup. With contesting we are very happy. We have leaders like Eben Etzebeth and Jean Kleyn who make it very difficult for the opponents.”
He added: “In Buenos Aires, it’s always a very physical outing. With the game they [Argentina] played in Johannesburg they were so close, so this weekend they will be eager to play. Hopefully, we can give a big performance and match them.”
The match against Los Pumas will be the Springboks’ final game before Nienaber names the 33-man squad on Tuesday that will travel to France to defend the World Cup title.
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Latest Comments
At least he no longer writes articles related to the All Blacks. The suggestion with these ratings is that the ABs have a lot more left in the tank... Which is nonsense, this was a nail biter of a test of the highest standard and both sides we're going at it hammer and tongs. As is often the case in rugby, the team that managed to score the most tries won.
Go to commentsWho, the ABs? Oh for sure, they punched above their weight in that cup, but also had got a lot better than anyone had thought they could (except perhaps SAn's) well out from the WC (to the point where you were disappointed not to win it). Then they've probably done the most post analyzing of their RWCs in the past, due to all their failures, they knew how to maximize their itinerary and that first game against France was of less importance than any one off test was against. At least a test like this weekends had meaning, even if it's not surrounded by any overarching point. That first match in the RWC though, along with the Ireland v SA game, were totally meaningless. Everyone already knew they were only going to be up against each other, and that's why NZ were only at around 70% during it.
So you're quite right, it was pointless to make as much out of it as this author did. The same pretty much goes for 2 years prior as well, because that's obviously before the above happened. NZ were at least trying very hard in that game, and although it needed some Ntamack magic at the end, France looked pretty comfortable, or should I say, NZ very poor. That picture obviously turned around this year, but still with that fabulous French flair scoring some crazy tries to win it again.
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