Former Leinster and Scotland coach Matt Williams said the 6-2 split was an “abuse of safety laws” and should be banned by World Rugby.
Ireland head coach Andy Farrell was on the bench for the first time since taking over in Friday’s Guinness Six Nations opener against France in a 6-2 win.
This comes after coach Fabian Galthie specified a similar bench distribution for Friday’s clash, with six forwards on the bench and only two reserves in the backline.
The first two teams announced for the Six Nations have both adopted controversial splits, with criticism of the forward-heavy approach following South Africa’s 6-2 and then 7-1 at last year’s World Cup. Reminds me of the criticism of Split.
For Matt Williams, using the forward too much on the bench is dangerous and will lead to further injuries.
“This is an abuse of safety laws!”
talk wednesday night rugbyWilliams revealed his thoughts on the breakup.
“Let me be clear: this is a completely legal tactic and a very smart tactic,” Williams said. “What people forget, and I know all too well, is that I have lived through people becoming quadriplegics.
“The reason we have benches in rugby is because back in the 80s and 90s quadriplegia and serious injuries were affecting the game. They put benches there to stop that from happening. It allowed people to take turns in trained positions and it was safe.
“Now, this is an abuse of safety laws! There are no two ways about it. There’s no way around it. That’s a fact.”
6-2 split to increase injuries
South Africa relied heavily on the strength of their forwards to win their fourth World Cup in 2023. From a 6-2 to a 7-1 split through most of the tournament in France, the Springboks utilized their bench at a higher level. He has better profile manners than any other challenger.
Williams believes the 6-2 split named on both the Ireland and France team sheets is a response to the world champions, but is a dangerous step forward for the game.
“Coaches today are saying, ‘Look, everyone’s doing it, so why aren’t we doing it?’ And that’s true,” Williams said. “Andy Farrell and Fabien Galthie are doing that and the Springboks are more than entitled to go 7-1.
“But if this happens at the lower levels of the game, we will get injured again. We will see men and women seriously injured during scrums.”
“If you’re down in a lower division and the other team brings in a new team and you’re a young straight-laced guy or an old straight-laced guy or you’re not good enough, it only takes a few seconds.
“I saw it. I was at a match. My club had a player who became a quadriplegic. I saw it with my own eyes. I never want to see it again. !”
“Nothing on God’s green earth I would ever change that. This is the historical fact of why we have the bench.”
“I am appalled that World Rugby have not taken action to change this situation by simply saying that three of the players on the bench must be specialist backs. That’s it.”
“Now, we’ve already said that the three on the bench have to cover hooker, tighthead and loosehead, and they’ve already done that. If they do that, this whole thing will be over. It will be resolved.”
“It would be really wrong for World Rugby not to do that!”
Williams believes World Rugby recognizes the risks to the game, but feels some countries are putting safety aside in favor of advantage.
“I think safety is being put on the back burner because some countries disagree because they think it’s an advantage for their national team,” Williams said. “It’s a really, really sad situation.”
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