Boks still get bang for their Bomb Squad: Kwagga

TimesLIVE

17-07-2025

The Bomb Squad still gives the Boks bang for their buck insists Kwagga Smith.
As a long time Bomb Squad linchpin flanker and utility player Smith is understandably protective of the much vaunted Bok bench whose destructive powers have terrorised the rugby world over the last six or so years.
The bench, however, did not detonate with the same explosiveness in the first Test against Italy at Loftus Versfeld. Smith explained finding cohesion can be tricky when players have been apart for six months but he is hoping they can deliver a more coherent effort when the Boks play Georgia in Mbombela this weekend.
'In the Loftus match we didn't make the impact we wanted,' admitted Smith of the Boks' at times laboured 42-24 victory in the capital earlier this month.
'We didn't have that much influence on the game but Italy also played a lot better in the second half than they did in the first. They found each other a bit better and they gelled, We have to take that into consideration.'
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Smith insists the Bomb Squad should remain an element of the Boks' armoury that strikes fear into the opposition.
'We want to re-establish that reputation. You can't play 40 games off the bench and it goes well and then you have one where it doesn't go so well and then come to the conclusion the Bomb Squad is no longer effective,
'We set our own standards and that is important to us. We know we weren't at our best but it is something we want to correct. We go into this game with a five/three bench split, so it won't be a full Bomb Squad.'
Though Georgia are renowned for their physicality and robustness in the scrum, the Boks opted not to load their bench with a forward heavy bench split. Bongi Mbonambi, Thomas du Toit, Vincent Koch, RG Snyman and Smith are the forwards charged with bringing energy and urgency from the bench this weekend, while double Rugby World Cup winners Faf de Klerk, Handré Pollard and Damian Willemse are the backup backs.
Smith's role in the cavalry hasn't changed much. What makes him a formidable opponent is his unrelenting energy and work ethic. The Bok brains trust places a high premium on players who are able to get involved in as many battles and skirmishes as humanly possible. In that regard Smith spreads himself thin across the park.
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'That is the thing I try to replicate from Sevens. There is no time to rest. I try really hard to get back on my feet and get involved in as many battles as possible. You have to use every opportunity.'
Saturday's game will be the Boks' last before they go into the Rugby Championship that kicks off next month. Smith believes the four matches against the Barbarians, Italy (two) and Georgia would have served their purpose in preparing the Springboks for the defence of their title.
'The guys will get good game time across the four matches and that is great preparation for us ahead of the Rugby Championship. That was one of the goals,' said Smith.
'For me it was about getting back into the system. You don't see each other for six months and though we have alignment camps it is on the field where you learn. There are new guys coming in and you have to learn how they play. A lot of different combinations have been played so that goal has been achieved.
'We just have to make sure we get better with each game. After the Pretoria we were better and it is now our responsibility to keep that up,' said the utility forward.