Pieter-Steph du Toit on World Rugby's Bomb Squad decision, praises 'genius' Rassie Erasmus

Since South Africa introduced the bench tactic, which sees them load it with forwards, it has become one of their primary weapons.

The Boks initially went with a split of six forwards and two backs during their 2019 Rugby World Cup win before going 7-1 on occasions four years later.

However, there have been calls to ban it, with some claiming that it is dangerous, but World Rugby last week revealed that they found no evidence to suggest that has been the case.

"Definitely for the Springbok squad, it's the strength of us," a delighted Du Toit told SportsBoom.co.za. "We've got really good depth in the side, so we're quite fortunate about that, and as a player, you're fortunate because you get a lot of game time as well, and you get an opportunity to prove yourself,"

"For us, it's the strength of us, and we're definitely going to build on it."

Du Toit is usually a starter for the Springboks but he was used once off the bench last year - against Scotland - when Rassie Erasmus picked a 7-1 split for the first time since the 2023 World Cup.

"Rassie understands the game. I wouldn't say just being a forward, he played the game in the past. He understands what works and what doesn't work," the 32-year-old said.

"And of course, the way he looks at the game is completely different than anyone else looks at the game. And it's quite exciting to play on him, and we're fortunate to have him in the system at the moment.

"That's the thing about Rassie. It's all about innovation. It's coming up with ways to kind of outsmart the opposition."

Erasmus would have no doubt adapted had the global governing body banned the Bomb Squad and thought of new ways to improve the Springboks.

Du Toit states that the Boks boss is "definitely" a genius and explained why his methods have been successful for the back-to-back world champions.

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