Bomb squad concept is about mindset and message rather than forwards and backs

There has been criticism about the Springboks’ bomb squad undermining the concept of replacements since they dared to use six forwards on the bench.

Yet, recent evidence suggests that the concept of a bomb squad is not as simple as picking at least six forwards and ta-da, winning big Test matches follows.

Last weekend, England had six forwards on the bench against the All Blacks at Twickenham. And they gave up a healthy eight-point lead in the final quarter as their scrum and composure fell apart.

Ironically, it was the All Blacks who inflicted the 24-22 defeat over England, having come from 22-14 down. It was ironic, because the Kiwis have had their own late-show problems this season.

In fact, before Saturday’s win at Twickenham, the All Blacks went five games in the Rugby Championship without scoring a point in the last quarter.

They collectively “lost” the final quarters of those five matches 52-0. And they used a mixture of 6/2 and 5/3 splits between back and forwards.

Against the Boks in their two Tests in South Africa, the All Blacks “lost” the last quarter 21-0 on their way to back-to-back losses. The Boks also juggled their subs bench between 6/2 in Johannesburg and 5/3 in Cape Town.

Grant Williams and Kwagga Smith scored tries at the death in Johannesburg, and Malcolm Marx another late try in Cape Town. They were all on the bench at kick-off.

Impact over type 

That further debunked the myth that having six, or even seven forwards, on the bench will lead to the end of rugby, as some think — the Boks have been winning games with a more traditional 5/3 split as well.

What these recent games underlined is that it’s not so much about how your bench is packaged, but how effective it is. The call to reduce the size of benches is not going to suddenly lessen the impact for teams who use the bench well.

What the Springboks have shown and what the All Blacks have learnt through some painful lessons in the 2024 Rugby Championship, is that the quality and impact the bench players provide is vital.

In Cape Town, when the All Blacks lost 18-12, “losing” the last quarter 7-0, coach Scott Robertson did not use two reserves. In the modern game, where the laws allow for fresh players, that was a cardinal sin.

It indicated that he did not trust the players he had picked among the replacements, which has traditionally been the case.

Until Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber came along in 2018, reserve players in Test rugby were seen as precisely that, reserves. They were only selected as cover for perceived “better” players in the event of injury.

Bok coach Rassie Erasmus has overseen an evolution of the team’s playing style and personnel since 2018. (Photo: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images)

The Bok coaches completely flipped the script by giving reserve players an identity — the bomb squad — and making them an essential part of the game plan and not just bit-part players, only there to plug a hole if needed.

The phrase “starters and finishers” has emerged on some team sheets. The Boks didn’t coin the phrase and have never used those terms either, because more than a “finisher”, they view the reserves as “impact” players who must change the game positively for the team when they have their chance.

Psychology 

These might be subtle differences, but psychology plays a huge part in elite sports. A player who knows he is only there as backup because the coach thinks another player is better will have a different outlook than someone who is waiting for his chance to alter the course of a match because that is his defined role.

The latter player does not see sitting on the bench as a downgrade, or a failure at not making the starting team. It is a specific job that the team needs from him and he has to deliver.

The pressure is massive, but it’s positive pressure as opposed to negative pressure on the man only there as backup. When the coach sends him on, it’s with the hope he won’t mess up.

Even if rugby’s lawmakers decide to cut the size of the reserves bench from eight to six, it won’t make much difference to the Boks.

The number of reserves is not what makes the bomb squad such a decisive force in the game — it’s the mindset and message they take to the field when they are unleashed that matters.

The All Blacks took control of the Twickenham clash when their reserve props and lock Patrick Tuipulotu came on and dominated. They had clearly been primed to change the game with positive impacts.

Lock Patrick Tuipulotu made a big impact off the bench for the All Blacks against England at Twickenham last Saturday. (Photo: Craig Mercer/MB Media/Getty Images)

Ditto flyhalf Damian McKenzie, who nailed a penalty and touchline conversion in the dying minutes. It’s almost certain that he was told that being on the bench was not a demotion, as might have been the case earlier in the year, but a promotion to being the one to close out the game with positive actions.

Once the All Black pack regained set-piece ascendency, England started to creak.

Simultaneously, England coach Steve Borthwick removed flyhalf Marcus Smith, who had an excellent second half, at a time when his confidence was high.

It felt pre-planned and rigid. At a certain time in the game, barring injury, George Ford was going to come on and Smith was going to be removed, regardless of the situation.

But even so, and only the England coaches will know the answer, it felt like Ford was sent on to shut the game down. It was a negative request and decision. Ford can be a match-winner, but he was almost certainly told to do anything possible to defend the lead.

England’s coaches believed they had done enough to win thanks to a good performance from the starting pack and players such as Smith. They then wanted the reserves to be just that — reserves — and cling on for the win.

Using the bench has become an art in modern rugby. The All Blacks have learnt this and Ireland perhaps learnt the hard way in their World Cup quarterfinal in 2023 when they probably should’ve replaced a fading Johnny Sexton with Jack Crowley.

Who knows what Crowley’s fresh legs and mind, as well as a positive message of “go win us the game, son”, from coach Andy Farrell might have achieved.

That painful loss led to change. In South Africa in July, Farrell threw the inexperienced Ciarán Frawley into the fray in the dying minutes against the Boks in Durban with exactly the message that might have been missing at the World Cup — “go and win the game”. And he did with two fine drop goals.

The best teams know that the concept of the bomb squad is much deeper and more subtle than numbers on backs.

It’s an attitude. DM