Former Scotland coach and current pundit Matt Williams insists that he will not be bowed and will continue to talk about the perceived ‘dangers’ of the ‘Bomb Squad’.

Williams has been an arch critic of the tactic, which was devised by the Springboks and helped them win back-to-back Rugby World Cups.

It initially began with a split of six forwards and two backs on the bench before they tried a 7-1 before and during the 2023 global tournament.

France have since adopted the 7-1 and used it in three consecutive Six Nations matches as they won their first title since 2022.

Praise for Rassie Erasmus and Boks

The tactic has no doubt proved to be very effective and Williams did start off by praising Rassie Erasmus and his Springboks coaches for their innovation.

“I admire the intellectual thinking of this as a coach, I do not have a problem with the coaches, this is not a problem about selection or why they’re doing it,” he told DSPN with Martin Devlin.

“I get it, it works. France against Ireland [in the Six Nations], it absolutely works, but what does that do to our game?”

Last week, World Rugby confirmed that there were no plans to outlaw the ‘Bomb Squad’, stating that their research hadn’t found any evidence to suggest it made the sport more dangerous.

Williams refuses to budge, however, and claims that a number of former players agree with his viewpoint.

“Every time I go out, old forwards and old props go up to me and they say, ‘you’re right’. I’ve never had anyone, apart from a few South Africans – because it’s good for South Africa – say it’s rubbish,” he said.

“All forwards say, ‘you’re probably right’. I think it’s a big issue, I’m a bit of a lone voice but, because of my club-mate Grant Harper (ex-Western Suburbs prop who was paralysed after a collapsed scrum), I’m not shutting up on it.

“I’m going to cop an earful off everyone, I’m prepared to do that otherwise I would be walking away from an old mate’s legacy.”

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Williams also believes that there is an issue of fairness and equality, with the former Leinster, Waratahs and Scotland head coach insisting that some countries won’t have the depth to compete with the bigger nations.

“Can Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Australia and Argentina compete against South Africa, New Zealand and France if that’s the way the game goes? The answer to that is no,” he said.

“Ireland can do it at the moment but that generation’s coming to an end. Once Tadhg Furlong and some of these guys in their 30s go, Ireland haven’t got another world-class tighthead prop coming through – they can’t possibly compete with that.

“What happened was, South Africa used it to get penalties from scrums, kick to the corner and maul, or kick at goal.

“Our game evolves. What did France do? France did what Toulouse do; go route one and do it all game, ‘we’re going to tire you out and you haven’t got the forwards to match us’.”

Steve Kitshoff injury and retirement

Williams also speculated about the injury to prop Steven Kitshoff who was, according to the former Springbok, “two millimetres from death” after he suffered a serious injury in a scrum.

Kitshoff has since retired from the game with the risk of returning to playing deemed too great.

“This is going to fundamentally change the way the game is being played,” Williams said. “People say at the top level, ‘we like big dudes running at big dudes, that’s cool’, but what’s it doing to the guys heads?”

“We know about brain injuries, what is it doing for brain injuries by bringing fresh guys off the bench? What’s it doing to the guys spines when it’s being compacted unbelievably for 80 minutes?

“What about Kitshoff, what happened to his spine in South Africa? Do we know if that is as a result of the scrummaging they are put through?”

He added: “Here’s the next part. The international forwards are probably strong enough to do it, but what’s it going to do to the women’s game? Which countries around the world can put out two packs in the women’s game? Very few.

“What if we go down to club? What’s going to happen to a tired tighthead at the club? I just think the downsides are huge. We’ve got to put aside our bias for our clubs and our nations and say, ‘is this good for the game?’”

👀 READ MORE: Bomb Squad: The birth of the Springboks’ explosive tactics, its copycats, detractors and controversies

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