Former IRFU referees boss Owen Doyle is the latest pundit to hit out at the current use of the replacement bench in the modern game.
South Africa famously dubbed their substitutes the ‘Bomb Squad’ during the 2019 Rugby World Cup, making use of a 6-2 bench split in favour of the forwards.
Jacques Nienaber and Rassie Erasmus took it a step further four years later, beating the All Blacks in the 2023 final with a 7-1 split, with Willie Le Roux being the only replacement back on the bench.
The Boks’ success has led to several teams adopting the tactics, with Johann van Graan’s Bath using it effectively to win a treble last season, while Steve Borthwick has done the same with England, who boast multiple world-class back-rowers.
A lot of injury-feigning
However, Doyle has echoed the views of the likes of Matt Williams and Keith Wood, stating that the way the bench is being used is against the spirit of the law.
“[Willie John] McBride, last week, spoke out against the high number of replacements and the introduction of so-called bomb squads. He proposes reverting to the days when replacements were only allowed for injury,” the former referee wrote in the Irish Times.
“However commendable the idea is, it’s unlikely to work. There would surely be a lot of injury-feigning. Even independent doctors would find it nigh-on impossible to refuse a replacement.
“But what might work is a reduction in the numbers allowed. A starting point of outlawing anything other than a 5-3 split would get the ball rolling. I was involved at IRFU and Six Nations meetings where this issue was discussed at length.
“It was rightly considered an imperative to avoid uncontested scrums, so that was three front-row replacements for a start. Then allow for one potential change in both the second row and the back row. Finally, allow for changes in the backs, for a specialist scrumhalf and a utility back. That’s how the number of eight replacements came about.”
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‘Cannot be safe’
He added that it cannot be safe for fresh, big players to enter the game in the latter stages of the match against tired bodies.
“Now, the 7-1 and 6-2 splits have arrived, with accompanying bomb squads of significant bulk,” he continued.
“McBride is rightly concerned about the weight of these fresh behemoths, ranging around 140kg, or 22 stone. It cannot be safe to have them charging at opponents who have already played for an hour.
“The moment these splits appeared was also the moment to call a halt. In addition to the intention, these were, and remain, outside the spirit of the law. But nobody has spoken up. A carefully framed clarification question was sorely needed, asking World Rugby for a law ruling on the validity of it all.”
In April this year, World Rugby outlined that there is no scientific evidence to ban the forward-heavy replacement benches completely from the sport.
“We looked at it from a science, medicine perspective,” World Rugby’s chief executive Alan Gilpin said.
“Was there a distinctive view that a bunch of fresh players coming on with 20‑30 minutes to go is going to create a more injurious position, and the science said that’s not the case.”
He added: “So there was no reason from that perspective to look at how we might do replacements differently. Ultimately, there are a lot of different ways to win a rugby match.”
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