The bomb squad. A South African proverb. We all know what it means and the impact these players bring, so here are those chosen by our SuperSport experts, to give the perfect back-up to our Dream XV.
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HOOKER: BISMARCK DU PLESSIS (SPRINGBOKS 2007-2015)
Along with his brother Jannie, the Du Plessis brothers are both known for their incredible play on the field, as well as their sense of humour off it. A powerful player who had the penchant for always being involved when the Springboks score tries, Du Plessis was always the centre of debate for the hooker position at both the Sharks and Springboks, where both he and John Smit shared the two jersey.
Following Smit’s move to tighthead under Peter de Villiers as coach, Du Plessis came into his own and the faster, more mobile Du Plessis made a massive difference to the Bok scrum and to their play, both in their victory in the 2009 Tri Nations and the series win over the British and Irish Lions.
There was a debate around the 2011 World Cup whether Du Plessis should have started at hooker ahead of Smit, but following the latter’s retirement after the World Cup, Du Plessis became the starting hooker and was a menace for opposition sides in the test arena.
In 2013 he was yellow carded by French referee Romain Poite for a perfectly legal tackle on Dan Carter, with another yellow turning the sanction into a red. World Rugby afterwards admitted the tackle yellow was a mistake and rescinded it, but the sense of injustice remained.
Du Plessis retired from international rugby after the 2015 World Cup, where South Africa finished third.
LOOSEHEAD PROP: TENDAI MTAWARIRA
TENDAI MTAWARIRA (2008-2019 SPRINGBOKS)
One of the most explosive players ever to wear the No 1 jersey, the former Zimbabwean-born flanker first came to prominence for the Sharks, where his strong scrummaging, as well as his prowess with the ball and ability to get around the park, became his strength that elevated him to the Bok squad.
Mtawarira - who was affectionately nicknamed “Beast” by fans and who would hear the chants of his name whenever he carried the ball, is widely seen as one of the legends of the game and even elicited a congratulatory phone call on his 100th cap from President Cyril Ramaphosa.
One test that will always be in the memory of fans is the 2009 first test against the British and Irish Lions in Durban where Mtawarira destroyed Phil Vickery and set the platform for the Boks to win that game. Vickery was substituted after 45 minutes and Mtawarira won the man of the match award.
Mtawarira played his 100th test against England in 2018 and overcame a neck injury which made him miss the 2018 tour of Europe. He started for the Springboks in the 2019 World Cup and was particularly devastating in his scrumming in the final, helping the Boks to victory over England. He retired after the final.
Mtawarira also holds the SA record for most Super Rugby caps with 160.
TIGHTHEAD PROP: TREVOR NYAKANE (SPRINGBOKS 2013-CURRENT)
Now Trevor may not have made the initial tighthead prop dream team nominees, but the Bomb squad isn’t always the superstar, it is rather a player who can make a significant impact, coming off the bench.
Nyakane is known for his dance moves and big smile, but his versatility is what has got him the nod here. The big guy can play both sides of the scrum - loosehead and tighthead and is extremely valuable for any bench internationally. It gives the coaches more options and they know they can load a bench even more if they have someone who is equally adept on both sides of the scrum.
Hailing from Ben Vorster at school, Nyakane made his name initially at the Cheetahs, where Os du Randt - the legendary prop voted in as the loosehead dream XV selection - said Nyakane was “like a son” to him - some impressive recommendation indeed.
Nyakane has played more than 200 professional games - first for the Cheetahs, then a long stint at the Bulls and then two years at French club Racing 92 before his time now at the Sharks.
Making his debut in 2013, he came on as a replacement for Tendai Mtawarira and scored a try against Samoa a month later. He was selected for the 2019 World Cup but was injured early on and was replaced by Thomas du Toit.
He was also part of the 2023 World Cup winning squad and started the first test against the British and Irish Lions in 2021 when Ox Nche was injured. Nyakane’s versatility has been a big part of the original bomb squad and his impact on the field has always been felt.
Nyakane has missed the current season with an achilles tendon rupture and has played 64 tests for the Springboks.
LOCK: BAKKIES BOTHA (SPRINGBOKS 2002-2014)
The ultimate hard man, soul of the rampant Bulls team in the 00s, a role which he often played for the Springboks. Bakkies wasn’t shy of getting on the wrong side of the law, but always did it with a smile on his face.
There are few teams that would not want Botha, despite his indiscretions on the field and he had a reputation of one of the toughest players ever in rugby. Botha won Tri Nations titles with the Springboks in 2004 and 2009, was part of Jake White’s massive World Cup winning squad in 2007 and helped the Bulls to their three Super Rugby titles in 2007, 09 and 2010.
He then became a vital part of Toulon’s all conquering squad that won the Champions’ Cup in 2013,14 and 15.
Botha played 85 tests in all for the Springboks and still remains one of the fan favourites to this day.
FLANK: SIYA KOLISI (SPRINGBOKS 2012-CURRENT)
What can be said about Siya Kolisi that hasn’t already been said? The inspirational Bok captain - the first black Springbok captain and the first black captain to lift the Webb Ellis trophy. Kolisi is known worldwide for leading the Boks to back-to-back World Cups, and has become an icon not only for South African rugby but for the sport worldwide.
He made his debut in Mbombela against Scotland back in 2013 and is heading towards his 100th test match for the Boks, which he should achieve either later this year or next year, joining an iconic group of individuals.
While he has had his critics, Kolisi’s leadership, and the way he represents the team off field has been a masterstroke for Springbok rugby, and on the field he has proven himself again and again when people want to write him off.
There simply is nobody in World Rugby like Siya Kolisi, and the Springboks are lucky to have him.
FLANK: KWAGGA SMITH (SPRINGBOKS 2018-PRESENT)
Not your typical flanker, but what an impact player.
Albertus “Kwagga” Smith epitomises the heart and soul of the bomb squad idea. Born in Lydenburg and schooled at HTS Middelburg, Smith has never quite fit the mould of a traditional flanker role, but he is the ultimate modern rugby player.
With speed of a winger - he has popped up at times for the Boks on the wings - and the skills of an opensider, Smith has burrowed his way into the Bok team and few who have watched his Bok career would ever question his value to the side.
The type of player that ups the workrate and tempo at the right time, Smith first made a name for himself on the Sevens circuit, where his unbelievable workrate was a plus for the Blitzboks team and his speed combined with the steppers in the team to lead SA to the World Series title.
There were some doubts that he would be able to transfer this to the fifteens game, but Rassie Erasmus utilised him exceptionally well in the bomb squad and Smith has since become an integral part of the bomb squad component - in fact it wouldn’t be too far to call him the perfect bomb squad player. Smith has played 57 times for the Boks at the time of writing and has scored 11 tries.
> > > GO TO THE BOK DREAM TEAM SITE AND VOTE NOW < < <
[https://www.supersport.com/bokdreamteam]