Ireland great: Rassie Erasmus’ unique call a ‘red flag’ as World Rugby must take action against ‘rampaging behemoths’
Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus and former Ireland captain Donal Lenihan.
Former Ireland star Donal Lenihan is the latest to ask World Rugby to step in after revealing his frustration at the Springboks’ Bomb Squad.
The likes of Matt Williams and Keith Wood have expressed their disapproval at having forward-heavy benches and they have been joined by Lenihan.
South Africa have claimed back-to-back World Cup titles with their bench being a huge factor in those successes.
The 6-2 split was significant in them winning in 2019 before they used a 7-1 against Ireland and the All Blacks in the 2023 tournament.
Rassie Erasmus’ bench decision
On Saturday, in their last international of 2025, they opted for a 7-1 with head coach Rassie Erasmus deciding to bring all eight players on at the same time in the 73-0 thrashing of Wales.
“Whether we like it or not, stretching back to the amateur game, exerting physical dominance over your opponent has always been central to winning matches. Unfortunately, the law makers have facilitated that even more, to the point where it’s become the overriding factor,” Lenhian wrote in his Irish Examiner column.
“World Rugby, the game’s governing body, must now look itself in the eye and wonder if, in an attempt to make the game safer, it’s exacerbated the problem.”
Like Williams, who has expressed his concern that fielding forward-heavy benches are dangerous, Lenihan has queried whether there is a safety issue.
“By expanding the bench from six to eight players, facilitating the introduction of 22 stone beasts many with the aerobic capacity to play to their optimum for 40 minutes at best, has had the opposite effect,” he wrote.
“How is it safe for an out half or centre, with 70 minutes of game time behind him, to have to tackle a fresh rampaging behemoth stationed in midfield off a line out, ready to explode down his channel?
“The bench was originally designed to cover injured players. It added massively to the technical aspect of the game when that expanded to encompass tactical changes.”
World Rugby’s Bomb Squad conclusion
World Rugby have done their own scientific research on the impact of the Bomb Squad and come to the conclusion that it has not made the game more dangerous.
They have therefore come to the conclusion that countries, such as South Africa, England and France, should for the time being be allowed to stack their benches with forwards, but Lenihan has urged them to revise that decision.
“What happened on the 51st minute in Cardiff should be seen as a red flag to the game’s administrators when Erasmus introduced his entire eight-man bench in unison, replacing big powerful beasts with bigger fresher specimens,” he wrote.
“Is that really why the bench was expanded. It certainly plays into the hands of deeper squads, aiding their ability to either close out or alter the course of a game. Is it any wonder, more often than not, South Africa have been able to blow teams away in the final quarter.”
He added: “It’s the reason why I’ve been advocating for a long time for reversal to a six man bench carrying a maximum of four forwards.
“For safety reasons you’d be required to carry a full front row. It would also mean you would have to consider picking more of a hybrid player, a Tadhg Beirne or Adam Baird, to cover the back five of the scrum but wouldn’t deny you the prospect of selecting an RG Snyman for impact.
“Whatever way you look at it the facility to introduce eight fresh bodies, in some cases in one fell swoop, has had a far greater impact on the outcome of games than originally envisioned. At the very least, World Rugby need to examine the data and revisit this.”
