Nienaber discusses the "Bomb Squad"

In the wake of the recent Springbok squad announcement, Head Coach Jacques has fielded many questions with regard to his bench. 

The Springbok bench became one of the most talked-about features of the World Cup winning team of 2019 and was dubbed the “Bomb Squad”. 

However, Nienaber has indicated that they will not be used in similar fashion as in the World Cup. 

Speaking to iol.co.za, Nienaber said: 

“The moment a player is not producing what or fulfilling his required role, whether it’s fatigue or just that they haven’t been exposed to a lot of rugby lately, we will substitute him. The players know they have a role to play and if we see that isn’t being fulfilled, he will be substituted.” 

Thus, it appears that Nienaber will use his bench in a more traditional role against the Lions.  

Questions were also posed about the thinking behind the announcement of the team on a Tuesday. Nienaber responded with the following: 

“From a logistical perspective, the team knew the team on Monday, so whether we announce it on a Tuesday or Wednesday, the players knew, even though some of them were bracketed. We have total transparency. We just felt that moving it forward would be easier. There is no strategic thinking or planning behind it.” 

The Test is scheduled to kick off at 6pm (local time).