VIDEO: The other 'bomb squad' in Green and Gold
South Africa Women will depend on their heavy artillery and a six-two forward-heavy split on the replacement bench when they face Japan Women in the WXV 2 opener in Cape Town on Friday.
Springbok Women’s Performance coach Swys de Bruin made two changes to the starting team that outplayed Spain (36-19) last Thursday at the Cape Town Stadium.
Ayanda Malinga replaced the injured Shaunique Hess, and experienced prop Babalwa Latsha swopped jerseys with Azisa Mkiva, who will start on the bench this Friday.
Latsha is joined by Ealing Trailfinders Women hooker Lindelwa Gwala and Bulls Daisies prop Sanelisiwe Charlie in the front row.
Micke Gunter, Yonela Ngxingolo, Azisa Mkiva, and Anathi Qolo along with overseas-based duo Danelle Lochner (Harlequins Women) and Catha Jacobs (Leicester Tigers Women) are the six forwards on the bench.
Unam Tose and Zintle Mpupha are the only backs among the replacements.
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“We went for a six-two split because we want to make a statement upfront against Japan,” said De Bruin at the team hotel in Cape Town.
“We want a pack of forwards and then a fresh pack of forwards to do the job for us.
“The plan worked for us against Spain where we had a new pack coming on in the 60th minute more or less.
“It is early days for us and the stamina and fitness of the girls is a thing to look at so we need more fresh legs up front.”
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De Bruin said he was happy with the Springbok Women’s scrums against the Spanish side last Thursday.
However, De Bruin warned his team to be wary of the technically sound Japanese side, who are just as impressive when it comes to the set-piece.
“I am very happy with our scrums,” De Bruin said, adding: “Assistant coach Laurian Johannes does a marvellous job there with the ladies.
“Playing off that platform helps and the thing is if you scrum like that, you want to play a lot because you know with every mistake you scrum, so you almost don’t mind.
“However saying that, Japan go low. They are small but they go low and technically very sound.”
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How low can you go?
Harlequins Women prop Babalwa Latsha said she can’t wait to get stuck in the forward battle with Japan.
“It has been an exciting prospect to play against a side like Japan, who are efficient, face and technically sound,” said Latsha.
“I think the most exciting part for me is upfront, that is my bread and butter.
“It is going to be a great challenge for us to see how low we can go.
“We trained really well, and now it’s time for us to back ourselves and focus on what we have been working on.”
‘Bomb Squad’ is a term that was adopted by the Springboks’ during their 2019 World Cup campaign when they selected a six-two bench split.
The term has more commonly been used to refer to Boks’ bench in general, but it is still heavily associated with their ability to swap their front row or tight five without losing any of their dominance.
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