This weekend, as they open their northern tour against Scotland in Edinburgh, the Springboks are reviving their 7-1 bench that includes powerhouse forwards Malcolm Marx, R.G. Snyman, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Jasper Wiese and Vincent Koch.
En route to successive world titles to maintain their global benchmark, the Boks’ “Bomb Squad” has earned a notorious, vaunted reputation for their collective ability to swing tests in their favour.
While the All Blacks can’t yet claim to rival South Africa’s second-half detonation, they are building a bench – perhaps one that’s better balanced, even – now proving pivotal in determining treasured results.
Further refinement to the reserves will come with time as selection settles but in their last two telling wins against England and Ireland, the All Blacks’ bolstered bench has helped propel them to coming-of-age victories.
There were many aspects that marked the maturing of Scott Robertson’s All Blacks in Dublin. Their vastly improved discipline; their patience and composure to build phases and pressure. Their depth development, with Asafo Aumua and Damian McKenzie standing tall in Beauden Barrett and Codie Taylor’s absences. And their belief that attacking, shifting the point of contact to the wide channels away from Ireland’s ruck strength, would pay dividends.
One of the most notable shifts from this team on the grand northern stage in the past two weeks, though, is their impact from the bench.
For five tests in succession, the All Blacks failed to score a point in the final quarter of their underwhelming Rugby Championship campaign. At that point, this was their incurable complex.
In their last two outings at Twickenham and Dublin, the All Blacks have flipped that script by overturning second half deficits.
Sure, they were fortunate to escape against England after George Ford fluffed a late penalty and dropped goal.
But two weeks in a row, away from home against quality opposition, the All Blacks improved in the second half after the introduction of their bench, to mark a stark contrast to their frustrating Rugby Championship fades.
That speaks to the All Blacks’ growing sense of identity, calmness and the blended balance they now boast among their reserves.
Last week at Twickenham, reserve props Ofa Tu’ungafasi and Pasilio Tosi and experienced lock Patrick Tuipulotu sparked the All Blacks by demolishing England’s scrum. Tuipulotu’s powerful presence – after recovering from multiple injuries – has been a late-season revelation for the All Blacks.
After delivering another scrum penalty in their first acts against Ireland, that allowed the All Blacks to regain the lead midway through the second half, Tu’ungafasi and Tosi are injecting serious influence, too.
It’s easy to forget Ethan de Groot, the former starting loosehead prop dropped for the English victory for off-field discipline reasons, was excluded in an apparent performance decision for Ireland.
While Tamaiti Williams had the Irish scrum under pressure alongside Tyrel Lomax, the unheralded Tu’ungafasi has found another gear in his impact role to leave de Groot on the outer.
McKenzie’s assured performance – after slotting 18 points against Ireland – leaves Scott Robertson with a welcome headache at No 10 next week in Paris.
Regardless of who controls the starting reins against France, though, consider the impact McKenzie or Barrett will have off the bench.
The All Blacks need to switch Cortez Ratima and Cam Roigard around. Roigard, in his return from injury to the test scene, delivered a profound impact with his kicking and distribution off the bench against England and Ireland.
For France, though, Roigard must be promoted to start, which would allow Chiefs halfback Ratima to inject his speed and further lift the tempo to expose fatigue in the final quarter.
Aumua, with a 76-minute shift against England and near full match in Dublin, is benefiting from exposure to prove he belongs in the elite arena.
When Taylor recovers from concussion, though, Aumua will be expected to return to the pine and inject destructive second-half impact.
Before this tour is complete, the All Blacks may also welcome back injured loose forwards Ethan Blackadder and Dalton Papali’i to further bolster their bench stocks.
With experience and youth, power and pace, the All Blacks’ bench is in the throes of a game-changing transformation.
All they need now is a collective title to rival the Boks’ Bomb Squad.
