Rassie embraces England’s ‘Pom Squad’

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has welcomed England’s willingness to borrow from South Africa’s most famous tactical weapon.

Speaking to The Observer, Erasmus made it clear that England’s emerging version of the Springboks’ famed Bomb Squad is not something he views with suspicion or defensiveness. Quite the opposite.

“And the Pom Squad, England’s version of South Africa’s heavy artillery arriving off the bench en masse? He seems genuinely thrilled,” the Observer notes, and Erasmus’ words back that up.

“I think it’s lekker when people stop analysing what’s wrong and what’s right, if things are within the laws,” Erasmus said.

“You adapt to it and kind of embrace it. It’s a nice feeling. Not because you feel when everybody’s criticised us at that stage that we’re now being proven right, it’s not that. I’m glad that people are trying to not find a problem with that.”

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England arrive firmly on the Springboks’ radar, with the 4 July Test as part of the new Nations Championship, shaping up as the first true heavyweight collision of the international season.

The noise around the Springbok camp suggests they are keen to line up a warm-up fixture beforehand, while England are eyeing the Six Nations title and riding an 11-Test winning streak.

“They are the real thing now,” Erasmus said.

RASSIE: Boks will be ready for ‘strong’ England

His admiration extends across the England squad, from their abrasive edge to their growing flair. Tom Curry is described as “a tough bastard”, while Maro Itoje “has always been a guy that disrupts your play”. Erasmus also singled out the attacking threat posed by Tommy Freeman, Fin Smith and Marcus Smith, pointing to a squad stacked with variety.

“I just think they’ve got a nice balance,” he said. “There is grunt and power and flair. They’re impressive.”

Even England’s tactical evolution off the bench has caught Erasmus’ attention. Rather than viewing imitation as flattery, he sees it as part of the game’s natural arms race.

“They might find something different,” he said. “They might go with four forwards and four backs, and then I might look at that and think ‘that might work’. We’re all stealing from each other and learning from each other. None of us have all the answers.”

Springboks 2026 schedule

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