Rassie keeps them guessing with his new hybrid strategy

The biggest takeaway from Esterhuizen's ground-breaking cameo on the flank is that opposition coaches Robertson, Galthié and Farrell won't know what to expect when they tackle the Boks

- By Jon Cardinelli

Springbok fans have come to know and love the Bomb Squad, and all its iterations.

Since 2019, Rassie Erasmus has challenged the status quo by stacking his bench with some of the world's leading players.

The split between forwards and backs has become a national talking point, with the head coach deploying six and occasionally seven heavies from the bench to close out big matches.

Like many of Erasmus' strategies, the Bomb Squad is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.

Although the Boks typically announce their team on a Tuesday, it’s not always clear what Erasmus intends to do on matchday, and indeed, who will play where.

The modern game demands that every individual in a squad covers more than one position, and Erasmus and company have taken the utility concept further than any other side. If recent evidence is anything to go by, the Boks have unlocked the next level.

Next level of hybrid player

When the Boks played the Barbarians at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday, 28 June, Erasmus showed the world yet another tactical picture.

Around the 45th minute, he made eight substitutions simultaneously, which is in itself out of the ordinary.

Specialist inside centre André Esterhuizen jogged onto the pitch with the rest of the subs - and at that point, the bench formation appeared to be a five-three split between forwards and backs.

But after the next scrum was set, it became clear that the 1.93m, 116kg Esterhuizen was playing flank rather than centre, and that South Africa's bench split was six-two rather than five-three.