Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber addresses reporters after naming his team to face Ireland on Tuesday, 19 September 2023. (Photo by Steve Haag/Gallo Images)
- The Boks sprang a surprise by picking seven forwards and one back on the bench for Saturday’s crunch Pool B World Cup game against Ireland in Paris.
- The Boks employed the same tactic in a warm-up game against New Zealand, but it still came as a surprise that they did it in the World Cup.
- The 7/1 split made headlines on renowned media outlets around the world.
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The Springboks made headlines with their team selection for Saturday’s crunch Rugby World Cup Pool B encounter.
Coach Jacques Nienaber opted for a 7/1 forward-backs split on the bench, meaning Cobus Reinach is the only backline reserve.
READ | Bok selection deep dive: Why 7/1 bombshell trumps 161 Tests in Willie and Duane
The Boks made the same tactical play when they thrashed the All Blacks 35-7 at Twickenham last month in a World Cup warm-up match, but it came as a surprise that they opted for the same route in the tournament proper against the world No 1-ranked team.
Social media was abuzz, with rugby pundits around the globe hotly debating the topic on social media.
Should Ireland allow South Africa to dictate terms ahead of Saturday’s World Cup clash? | ?? v ????
??? ‘Over to you Andy Farrell. Does he have to got with a 6-2 now? I don’t know.’
??? ‘If Ireland were to change their team… does that already cede some ground?’ pic.twitter.com/6xGdbje5bD
— Off The Ball (@offtheball) September 19, 2023
Prominent media outlets around the globe also took note.
The New Zealand Herald called it a “bold strategy”, while their headline story on Wednesday morning focused on “what an All Blacks 7/1 bench split would look like”.
“It effectively gives South Africa a new forward pack to bring on in the second half against Ireland,” wrote the Herald’s Will Toogood.
The Irish Independent dubbed it “South Africa’s bomb squad goes nuclear”.
“In 2019, they nick-named their bench ‘The Bomb-Squad’ as the replacements played a pivotal role in delivering the World Cup.
“Now, they’ve gone nuclear and the Munster pair of Jean Kleyn and RG Snyman have been included among the replacements,” wrote Ruaidhri O’Connor.
The Independent also featured a Great Debate on whether Ireland should try to counter South Africa’s tactics with a 6/2 forwards-backs bench split.
The Irish have never opted for a 6/2 tactic, never mind going the 7/1 route.
Springbok team:
15 Damian Willemse, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Cheslin Kolbe, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Steven Kitshoff
Substitutes: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Ox Nche, 18 Trevor Nyakane, 19 Jean Kleyn, 20 RG Snyman, 21 Marco van Staden, 22 Kwagga Smith, 23 Cobus Reinach
The Guardian in the UK called it “South Africa go big and bold”.
“The last time South Africa opted for a 7/1 split they steamrollered New Zealand in a warm-up Test at Twickenham last month. That successful trial has clearly encouraged them to repeat the experiment against the world’s No 1-ranked side, who are also the reigning Six Nations grand slam champions,” Robert Kitson wrote.
The Irish Mirror called it a “radical bench tactic”.
Michael Scully wrote that the Boks’ 7/1 split against New Zealand “worked a treat” as the Boks “plan to subdue Ireland with the same tactic”.
Saturday’s clash at the Stade de France kicks off at 21:00.
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