There is a tasty double-header this weekend as New Zealand and South Africa collide in the Rugby Championship and Women’s Rugby World Cup.
It’s a historic fixture for the Bok Women, who qualified for the knockout stages of the tournament for the first time in their history after losing just one pool match.
Bomb Squad goes nuclear
For the showdown against the mighty Black Ferns, head coach Swys de Bruin has borrowed a tactic from the World Cup-winning Springboks as he has selected a 7-1 split on the bench – a ploy South Africa used to beat the All Blacks in the 2023 final in France.
De Bruin, who worked as an assistant to Rassie Erasmus in 2018 and 2019, explained that the profile of the squad and the challenge that New Zealand poses meant that the controversial tactic was ideal for this match.
“We decided on the 7-1 split because of the profile of our team,” he said.
“We are a team that like to dominate upfront and playing two fresh packs – in each half – against the Black Ferns is a tactical decision. We rested all those players against France to be ready for this Test and now it is time for them to take on New Zealand with fresh legs and eager minds.
“You must realise, our squad was not used to this intensity and quality of opposition for a long time, so we had to plan their workload properly. I am happy to say it worked out exactly as planned and we are ready to go.”
De Bruin has made 10 changes to his starting XV from the team that was defeated by France last week in the pool stages, with Nolusindiso Booi captaining the team from lock.
The inclusion of Booi, the regular captain, is accompanied by the returns of Lindelwa Gwala (hooker), Danelle Lochner (lock), Sizophila Solontsi (flanker), Libbie Janse van Rensburg (fly-half), Zintle Mpupha (centre) and Ayanda Malinga (wing), who were all rested against France, and were last in action in the famous win over Italy two weekends ago.
In all, 13 members of the starting line-up and six replacements who were involved in that victory have been included in the team to face New Zealand.
New Zealand’s threats
The Bok Women’s coach said they are aware of the threats from New Zealand: “They have won the World Cup six times already; we did not even enter the qualification play-offs in 2017 and lost all our matches in 2022, that is how far behind we are against them.
“Their players’ passing ability and accuracy are amazing, and one can see they have played this game from a young age. That is not the case with us, but that said, we have improved so much, and few teams will beat our heart and guts.”
De Bruin had a simple message for his team: “Leave nothing on the field. We will carry you off if you are too tired to walk at the end of it. This is the biggest game of your life, go out and enjoy it.”
While the famed ‘Bomb Squad’ and 7-1 selection proved mightily effective for the Springboks, it has its detractors, most notably former Scotland head coach Matt Williams, who believes that it is ‘against the spirit of the game’ and ‘discriminates against backs’.
The Bok Women made headlines earlier in the tournament when they deployed the same tactic with De Bruin throwing on all eight substitutes at the same time.
Springbok Women team to face New Zealand in Exeter
South Africa: 15 Byrhandré Dolf, 14 Maceala Samboya, 13 Zintle Mpupha, 12 Aphiwe Ngwevu, 11 Ayanda Malinga, 10 Libbie Janse van Rensburg, 9 Nadine Roos, 8 Aseza Hele, 7 Sinazo Mcatshulwa, 6 Sizophila Solontsi, 5 Danelle Lochner, 4 Nolusindiso Booi (c), 3 Babalwa Latsha, 2 Lindelwa Gwala, 1 Sanelisiwe Charlie
Replacements: 16 Luchell Hanekom, 17 Yonela Ngxingolo, 18 Nombuyekezo Mdliki, 19 Vainah Ubisi, 20 Anathi Qolo, 21 Lerato Makua, 22 Catha Jacobs, 23 Eloise Webb
Date: Saturday, 13 September
Venue: Sandy Park, Exeter, England
Kick-off: 13:00 (BST), 12:00 (RSA)
Referee: Sara Cox (RFU)
Assistant referees: Ella Goldsmith (RA), Kat Roche (USAR)
TMO: Rachel Horton (RA)
FPRO: Matteo Liperini (FIR)
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