Is Boks’ bench really a ‘bomb squad’? Maybe not, but it can still blow the Wallabies to bits

September 27, 2026 — 9:30am

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South Africa’s vaunted bench is casting a large shadow over the Wallabies heading into Sunday’s Test in Perth.

Malcolm Marx, Ox Nche, Wilco Louw, Lood de Jager, Jasper Wiese, Morne van den Berg, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Quan Horn represent a formidable array of weapons at Rassie Erasmus’ disposal.

All, apart from Horn, played a significant role in the Springboks’ recent 3-1 series win against the All Blacks.

But can it be called a “bomb squad” when it is a traditional 5-3 split of forwards and backs, as opposed to the 6-2 or 7-1 forwards-heavy variations used in the past?

Halfback van den Berg is emerging as the answer to one of the few questions about this Springboks team – do they have a No.9 who is as good as the players around him? He will ignite the Test when he takes the field in Perth about 10 minutes into the second half.

Wiese, who will play his 50th Test in........

© Brisbane Times