Springboks star reveals how Bomb Squad plan to ‘set things right’ against Georgia
Springboks loose forward Kwagga Smith.
Springboks utility forward Kwagga Smith is looking forward to making his usual impact when he comes off the replacements bench in Saturday’s clash against Georgia in Nelspruit.
After starting the 2025 international campaign by selecting a forward heavy 6-2 split amongst his replacements for their first Test against Italy, Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus opted for a more traditional 5-3 bench in their next clash with the Azzurri and he has stuck with that option for their fixture with the Lelos.
And while South Africa‘s much vaunted Bomb Squad failed to fire in their first clash against Italy, Smith, who is a vital component of the world champions’ bench, does not believe that opponents have figured out how to counter one of the Boks’ undoubted strengths in recent years.
‘We didn’t have the influence we wanted to’
“We know we probably weren’t playing to the best of our ability against Italy when we came off the bench,” Smith said in reference to the Boks’ back-up players. “We didn’t have the influence we wanted to.
“Italy played better in the second half, and they found each other and gelled. You must consider that.
“We do want to maintain that reputation when coming off the bench. You play together for many matches, and then in one game, things don’t go according to plan, and suddenly everyone says they’ve figured us out.
“We are not too fazed about it and will look to our standards. However, we want to set things right. Yes, we do have a 5-3 split and not a full Bomb Squad.
“But every guy wants to lift the standard.
“It was the first game of the season, and the last time we played together was six months ago.”
Georgia are renowned for their physical approach to the game but Smith said the Boks have plans to counter that threat.
The 32-year-old, who is comfortable in all three back-row positions, expects the Lelos to be competitive at the breakdowns as that was an area which the Azzurri targeted in both their Tests against the Boks.
‘Everyone wants to measure themselves against the Springboks’
“They are tough people, strong and play with a lot of passion,” he added. “Everyone wants to measure themselves against the Springboks, so we know it will be a battle.
“They will be physical, and they won’t take a step back.
“It doesn’t matter what the scoreboard says; they will keep coming at us. For them, this is an important opportunity to prove themselves against the best.”
After coming off second best in the breakdown battle against Italy in Pretoria, South Africa showed considerable improvement in that department in the second Test in Gqeberha last week and Smith said they are targeting more improvement in Nelspruit this weekend.
“Rassie has used the entire squad well. Each guy is getting a good amount of rugby, and that was maybe part of our goals. For me, I just wanted to get used to the Bok system (again).
“We don’t see each other for six months. Yes, we have alignment camps, but on the field is where you learn about each other.
“We have a few new guys who have come in, and you must adapt to playing with them. That goal was achieved because we played different combinations over the four games.
“Things went better since Pretoria and the guys playing this weekend, we have a responsibility to maintain that standard and improve.”
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