The Springboks’ second-half slump in their first Test against Italy in Pretoria last weekend certainly was concerning, but to suggest that the Bomb Squad has been permanently diffused is perhaps a bit of a reach.
While the Boks secured a 42-24 win in the season-opener at Loftus Versfeld against the Azzurri, you’d be forgiven for thinking they copped a loss.
Media reports didn’t hold back when it came to voicing disappointment with the Springboks’ performance, particularly their second-half showing, and for good reason. After all, the Boks have given us reason upon reason, in the form of international records and back-to-back World Cups, to expect nothing less than sheer dominance and success.
Was the Springboks’ flat Bombsquad performance the end of an era?
But, in their first Test against Italy, the Boks’ trusted second-half injection failed to deliver a lethal dose.
In fact, the Italians didn’t just survive the Bomb Squad; they outplayed them.
The visitor’s outscored the hosts by 21 points to 14 after the break, while they also topped the Boks in the tries-scored column as they ran in three tries to two in what became a testing 40-minute spell for the home side.
The last time any team could boast outscoring the Boks in the second half – in terms of tries or points – was during the 2023 World Cup final.
Since then, the world champions have managed to score more tries and points in the second stanza than their opposition in every game. That’s all courtesy of the Bomb Squad.
Until the Test against Italy.
Rassie Erasmus mixes things up
The Springboks made 15 changes to the squad that faced Italy last weekend.
While it’s an almost entirely new run-on side, last week’s bench reinforcements have also swopped.
RG Snyman, Kwagga Smith, Franco Mostert, Bongi Mbonambi, and Vincent Koch all miss out completely after being outperformed last weekend.
This week, instead, Erasmus has opted for a 5-3 split and a host of younger players as they look to bounce back.
After the game, Italy coach Gonzalo Quesada quipped about his “Grenade Squad” being the new powerhouse reinforcements.
And while they will be eager to prove that their second-half dominance of the Boks was no fluke, the South Africans, the Bomb Squad in particular, will be set on returning to their dominant ways.
WILL THE BOMBSQUAD GET IT RIGHT IN GQEBERHA?
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