The tongue-in-cheek name the All Blacks have given their 'bomb squad'
Replacement back-rower Dalton Papali'i has revealed the tongue-in-cheek name he has come up with for the All Blacks subs bench heading into their Rugby World Cup final clash versus the Springboks and their famed ‘bomb squad’.
South Africa’s bench has been a hot topic in Paris ahead of the decider after the way it managed to turn a 6-15 semi-final deficit into a jaw-dropping 16-15 win over England last weekend with a late 10-point surge in which sub second row RG Snyman pounced for a try and sub out-half Handre Pollard added five points off the kicking tee.
However, rather than feel daunted by the ‘bomb squad’ and its fearsome reputation dating back to the 2019 World Cup in Japan, Papali'i has let slip how the All Blacks view their own bench.
"I'll tell you a quick story,” he quipped at a midweek media briefing at the Paris Country Club. “I have got a little group happening in the team room at our hotel and we are watching Band of Brothers and the 101st Airborne and their Easy Company.
“So, I made a little joke saying, 'You know they have got the 'bomb squad', so we could have the 'easy company'. We want to go and finish the job and be in the trenches.
"Talking about the bomb squad, man, they have proven themselves. They can come on and change a game like that, so we sort of need to identify whoever is on the bench and need to really be screwed on up top and give it hell."
Forwards coach Jason Ryan also gave his assessment on the South African bench. "It would be good to take some gas out of that bomb, wouldn't it?
"They have got their DNA as a forward pack. We have got trust in our plan this week and we believe we will be able to be there right until the end.
“They [South Africa] are just playing to their strengths. It's a big part of what they do. It's worked for them. We have got a good plan. The referees will make their decision on what they see. Those pictures have got to be clear, especially in big moments."
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> It would be best described as an elegant solution to what was potentially going to be a significant problem for new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. It is a problem the mad population of New Zealand will have to cope with more and more as All Blacks are able to continue their careers in NZ post RWCs. It will not be a problem for coaches, who are always going to start a campaign with the captain for the next WC in mind. > Cane, despite his warrior spirit, his undoubted commitment to every team he played for and unforgettable heroics against Ireland in last year’s World Cup quarter-final, was never unanimously admired or respected within New Zealand while he was in the role. Neither was McCaw, he was considered far too passive a captain and then out of form until his last world cup where everyone opinions changed, just like they would have if Cane had won the WC. > It was never easy to see where Cane, or even if, he would fit into Robertson’s squad given the new coach will want to be building a new-look team with 2027 in mind. > Cane will win his selections on merit and come the end of the year, he’ll sign off, he hopes, with 100 caps and maybe even, at last, universal public appreciation for what was a special career. No, he won’t. Those returning from Japan have already earned the right to retain their jersey, it’s in their contract. Cane would have been playing against England if he was ready, and found it very hard to keep his place. Perform, and they keep it however. Very easy to see where Cane could have fit, very hard to see how he could have accomplished it choosing this year as his sabbatical instead of 2025, and that’s how it played out (though I assume we now know what when NZR said they were allowing him to move his sabbatical forward and return to NZ next year, they had actually agreed to simply select him for the All Blacks from overseas, without any chance he was going to play in NZ again). With a mammoth season of 15 All Black games they might as well get some value out of his years contract, though even with him being of equal character to Richie, I don’t think they should guarantee him his 100 caps. That’s not what the All Blacks should be about. He absolutely has to play winning football.
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