A new teaser to the Chasing the Sun 2 documentary reveals the Springboks players’ attitude towards the infamous ‘Bomb Squad.’
The Springboks famously adopted the term during the 2019 Rugby World Cup when Rassie Erasmus and his coaching team fielded a bench with six forwards and two backs instead of the more traditional split of five forwards and three backline replacements.
The tactic produced magnificent results for South Africa as they went on to win the 2019 World Cup in Japan and continued to make use of it in the years that followed.
Springboks’ Bomb Squad
Ahead of the World Cup in France, Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber upped the ante with their bench replacements, selecting seven forwards and one back against the All Blacks prior to the tournament, and backed it again in the pool stage game against Ireland and the final against New Zealand.
The Boks would go on to seal back-to-back World Cup titles defeating the All Blacks 12-11 in the final.
The newest teaser for the Chasing the Sun 2 documentary series is centred around the ‘Bomb Squad’ with lock RG Snyman giving insight into the Springboks players’ attitude towards the tactic.
Snyman featured off the bench in the World Cup matches against Ireland, France, England and New Zealand, scoring a crucial try in the semi-final victory over the Red Rose.
“We take that role very seriously,” Snyman says in the clip.
“It’s actually if a guy gets selected in the starting lineup off the bench, we say, ‘I’m sorry man, maybe next game you will be back in the Bomb Squad’,” he added with a chuckle.
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Duane Vermeulen adds: “They don’t call it the Bomb Squad for nothing.” He presumably refers to the bench’s impact in the semi-final against England, with replacements Handre Pollard, Snyman and Ox Nche playing a pivotal role in winning the match.
Third part of the series confirmed
This footage is just another behind-the-scenes look at the wildly anticipated second season of the immensely successful documentary series that follows the Springboks in their World Cup journey.
The show’s writers also revealed to the South African tabloid Rapport earlier this week that the series will include of three parts and that viewers will follow the Boks to the 2027 World Cup in Australia.
In June, South Africa will play a single Test match at Twickenham Stadium against Wales to begin their 2024 international series. This will be followed by two Test Series against Ireland and a match against Portugal.
