South Africa director of rugby Rassie Erasmus has hit back at one of the Springboks’ biggest critics of the 7-1 split on the bench.
After a late injury withdrawal in their Rugby World Cup warm-up match against New Zealand, the Boks initially chose a substitute mix of seven forwards and one back.
The technique was expected to be used by the coaches throughout the World Cup, and it has been implemented as seven forwards have been added to the roster for Saturday’s Pool B match against Ireland.
Erasmus responds to critic
Keith Wood, a former Ireland hooker, projected that World Rugby will alter the rules regarding substitutions after the competition, while Matt Williams, a former Scotland coach, has been significantly more critical of the Springboks’ strategies.
Is it lawful? Yes. Is rugby smart? Yes. Is it a wise strategy? Yes. However, it is not morally right. Virgin Media was told by Williams.
Williams has since received a response from Erasmus on X, formerly Twitter.
Hello, Matt Although I am likewise above 50, I fail to grasp your argument or how you arrived at your “conclusion,” Erasmus said.
The Springboks’ head coach also sent a link to Ross Tucker’s film that explains the nuances of the argument over how many substitutes should be used and if fresher players playing against worn-out ones leads to more injuries.
If there were to be a decline in the number of subscribers, it would occur in spite of the evidence, not because of it (or for other reasons). Evidence suggests that the probability of harm decreases as substitutes are added to a tackle event. Additionally, the injury risk for exhausted vs. fatigued is higher than it is for fresh versus. fresh,” Tucker wrote on X.
Nienaber’s reaction
Jacques Nienaber, the head coach of the Springboks, has also responded to the criticism of the bench’s composition.
“I believe that any innovation in a sport will elicit a response, whether favorable or unfavorable,” stated Nienaber.
“This is certainly different; it’s the first time a side at a men’s World Cup named seven forwards and one back on the bench, so I’d call that innovation. That will elicit a response.
“I don’t understand how player safety is addressed. I am aware that nothing prevents anyone else from doing that, and I believe it will be a sad day if you are creative with the rules of the game and they change that.
It isn’t against the rules of the game, and I don’t believe it has any impact whatsoever on player safety.
Nienaber continued by saying that the eight substitutes are not considered bench players by the Springboks.
At the Rugby World Cup in Japan in 2019, South Africa’s 6-2 split was dubbed the “Bomb Squad,” and the head coach claims that they have kept the same mindset for their replacements.
In response to the question of whether he chooses his bench before his starting lineup, he said, “That’s a tough one in our team because I don’t know other teams; our bench isn’t necessarily what I would call a bench.”
“Occasionally, people have the misconception that if you sit the bench, you are probably not as excellent as the player who starts.
“However, as we have frequently stated, it is not necessarily the case with the club and squad we have here.
“We choose 23; I won’t say we start with the bench. Although it may sound cliche, that is actually how we go about things. They are chosen for particular purposes.
