22nd Sep 2023
As a member of the forwards club, former Springbok tighthead prop Julian Redelinghuys has nothing but praise for Jacques Nienaber’s trending bench split innovation - especially with the number of forwards it comprises!
As a member of the forwards club, former Springbok tighthead prop Julian Redelinghuys has nothing but praise for Jacques Nienaber’s trending bench split innovation – especially with the number of forwards it comprises!
The former Lions prop forward, capped eight times by the senior national team, not only endorses this new approach, but commends the Springboks’ brain trust for showing overwhelming faith in their reserves who themselves have become somewhat of a world rugby cult phenomenon.
“The 7-1 split seems to have happened by accident right before the Springbok’s final warm-up game against the All Blacks when Willie le Roux was ruled out during the warm-up. The success of that call has obviously revealed a new-found strategy which the Jacques and Rassie have held onto,” notes Redelinghuys.
“I think for me, what Jacques and his management team are displaying is an overwhelming amount of faith in their replacements. He provides an opportunity to each member of the ‘Bomb Squad’ which serves as a huge confidence booster to the entire squad. I mean we’ve seen it, when those impact players enter the field it’s total chaos from an efficacy point of view.”
Redelinghuys believes that while the 7-1 split presents its own set of risks notably injuries to key backline players in the starting XV, there is a risk and reward element to it as well.
“I think from a reward perspective, you have the luxury of unleashing a bunch of forwards from the bench who can offer you impact and energy. As a member of the forwards club, I obviously love this innovation from Jaques and Rassie,” chirps the former Bok prop.
“I suppose any team can employ the 7-1 strategy, but where I think it benefits the Springboks the most is the unbelievable talent our loose forwards and backs possess and the ability to make a massive impact when required.”
“Just imagine the mindset of the opposition 50-60 minutes into the fixture and they catch a glimpse of a tight five component consisting of the likes of Ox, Deon, Trevor, Jean and RG running on… it becomes a tough mountain to climb.”
“You’ve also then got a situation where Kwagga, due to his pace and skill can slot in among the backs if required. Marco covers the loose-forward and at hooker so,” he adds.
Currently the scrum guru for the Emirates Lions, Redelinghuys shared some insight on his teams’ pre-season progression ahead of their Vodacom United Rugby Championship season-opener against the DHL Stormers.
“Pre-season is going extremely well. They guys are spending an incredible amount of time together which strengthens team bonds and culture. We are creating a mentality of being tough both on and off the field and the guys are really buying into what we can potentially achieve this season,” he concluded.
The Emirates Lions host the last year’s runners-up at Emirates Airline Park on 21 October at 16:05.