Rassie Erasmus says the Springboks are aware of the recent criticism of the Bomb Squad, but dismissed the idea of any concern coming from Ireland’s camp.
Erasmus was speaking during a press conference in Durban on Tuesday after naming an unchanged matchday-23 for the decisive second Test against Ireland at Kings Park.
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The Springboks will once again unleash a 6-2 split between forwards and backs on Ireland, a decisive factor in the first Test in Pretoria, with a penalty try from a dominant scrum giving South Africa a 27-20 win.
Following the first Test, the famed Bomb Squad came under heavy fire once again, with particular attention paid to Erasmus’ decision to bring all six replacement forwards on at the same time early in the second half of the match.
“We do hear things and we do see things,” Erasmus said. “Flip, I’m on social media, I read things and there are some things that you really take to heart and try to understand.
“I try to stay in touch with South Africa and how our people feel, how people react and try to be honest with the media, without giving too much away.
“Our reality is that we could have sent them on one-by-one, but if all six go at the same time, I don’t know if that’s dangerous,” Erasmus explained. “Ireland definitely also play with a 6-2.
“I don’t think the Irish team feels that way, I don’t think Andy Farrell feels that way. It’s just one individual who said that [former Scotland coach Matt Williams], I’m not sure if the Irish players would agree with that.
“They are too proud and they handled us well. They still scored two great tries to make it a really tense game at the end. One of their injuries was in the first half before the Bomb Squad was on.
“Some things make sense when you see it, and some don’t,” Erasmus added.
Photo: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile via Getty Images
The post Rassie: Ireland don’t fear the Bomb Squad appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Src: sarugbymag.co.za
