Former Springbok assistant coach Alan Solomons has hailed Rassie Erasmus’ innovative use of the bench, urging World Rugby not to change the rules on substitutions.
Speaking in a wide-ranging interview with News24, Solomons defended the Boks’ Bomb Squad, emphasising that Erasmus’ deployment of up to seven replacement forwards gives the world champions the best shot at victory.
“Rassie has thought about it carefully,” Solomons told News24. “He has developed the team around it and got the players to do it effectively.
“You have always been allowed to split those replacements as you wish. It’s part of the game. South Africa just has an advantage because they have good players.
“I think you have a better product bringing guys off the bench. There is nothing wrong with what is being done. I would leave it well alone.”
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Solomons also challenged any suggestion to weaken scrums or mauls, emphasising their importance in differentiating rugby union from rugby league.
“The set piece is what distinguishes our game. Why depower it? Leave the scrum and the maul alone,” he insisted.
“It may be, and I’m not saying it is the particular case, that a certain nation doesn’t have a good scrum and therefore they want the scrum depowered because it is in their interest. It’s difficult for people to be objective where they are actively involved in the game.”
Reflecting on Sunday’s clash between Scotland and the Boks at Murrayfield, Solomons believes the hosts’ success will rely on front-row parity.
“Their biggest thing is getting close to parity with South Africa up front. If they can do that, they have a shot,” he explained.
Photo: Gordon Arons/Gallo Images
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Src: sarugbymag.co.za
