Outgoing World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont has expressed his concern over the growing reliance on substitutions in the modern game, with particular reference to South Africa’s famed “Bomb Squad.”
In a candid interview with The Times, Beaumont, who will step down from his position in November, questioned whether the sport allows too many substitutes, reflecting on how the game used to “open up” in the final 20 minutes.
The Springboks, under Rassie Erasmus, have leveraged their unique strategy of packing the bench with forwards. In the 2023 World Cup final, South Africa even selected seven forwards among their replacements, allowing them to almost replace their entire pack.
“My view is that we allow too many substitutes,” Beaumont told The Times.
“I don’t know if I’m looking through rose-coloured spectacles but in years gone by the game always opened up in the last 20 minutes, and games were often won in the last 20 minutes.
“The Bomb Squad are very effective at what they do, and very successful — they have won two World Cups. I will not criticise that at all, because it suits their game, but maybe they could run for a bit longer and a bit further.”
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