In the rugby cauldron of Nelspruit, where the Lowveld air hangs heavy with the scent of oranges and old battles, one Springbok firestarter is ready to relight a fuse that fizzled prematurely last week.
Kwagga Smith—flank, dynamo, and ever the flint behind the flame isn’t mincing his words ahead of South Africa’s Castle Lager Incoming Series finale against Georgia at Mbombela Stadium on Saturday. After a misfire against Italy, the infamous Bomb Squad, South Africa’s tactical forward artillery has something to prove.
“With the Loftus match, we did not have the impact from the bench that we wanted,” admitted Smith, the seasoned Bok warrior who hails from the very soil he’ll tread this weekend.
“We didn’t influence the game, but I must also say that Italy played much better in the second half than in the first.”
Indeed, the Springboks stormed into halftime against the Azzurri with a full belly of tries and scoreboard swagger, only to let the pressure valve hiss open in the second half. While the Boks triumphed 42-24, the Italians outscored them 21-14 after the break, leaving critics wondering if the Bomb Squad’s explosive legacy had fizzled into smoke.
“You play 40 games off the bench and kind of build up a reputation,” Smith reflected.
“Then in one game things don’t work out for you, and suddenly people say the Bomb Squad has been defused.”
Defused. A word that clings like mud to a pair of well-worn studs. The Bomb Squad—once rugby’s most feared cavalry, unleashed with mechanical precision in the 50th minute to grind opponents into submission—had looked human. And in South Africa, that’s almost unforgivable.
Reigniting the Bomb Squad
But this week, Rassie Erasmus pressed the reset button. The 5-3 bench split signals intent. Firepower returns in the form of heavyweight lifters Thomas du Toit and Vincent Koch, the granite-chinned Bongi Mbonambi, lineout disruptor RG Snyman, and the relentless Smith himself. They are the reinforcements, the closers, the second-half shepherds meant to lead the Boks to slaughter.
“We know we may not have been at our best on the field that day, so we’re definitely going to want to put that right,” said Smith with the steel of a soldier itching to make amends.
At 32 and with 52 Test caps to his name, the Mpumalanga-born loose forward knows what it means to wear the green and gold in front of his home crowd. He knows the echoes of schoolboy rugby played in bare feet under blue skies. And on Saturday, he’ll share the field with another son of the Lowveld—hooker Marnus van der Merwe—making his Test debut.
“I’m very happy and proud for Marnus and everyone else who has made it to this level from the Lowveld,” said Smith.
“One can relate to how they grew up and the journey they have been through to get here, so it’s fantastic to see him achieve this honour.”
South Africa’s front row is a trio of fresh faces: van der Merwe, Neethling Fouché, and Boan Venter – three uncapped players ready to step into the fire pit. And what better test than against Georgia, the grizzly old packmasters of Eastern Europe?
Ranked 11th in the world, Georgia may arrive bruised after losses to Ireland’s B-team in Tbilisi and the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein, but their bruises are badges of defiance. Their DNA is rugby granite: forged in hardship, sharpened by scrums on muddy fields, and fuelled by a nation’s unyielding pride.
“They are strong and hard people, who grew up in a tough country, so they are a good team, and we know it’s going to be a challenging battle,” said Smith, who dotted down against the Lelos back in Pretoria in 2021.
“They will be physical, and they’ll keep fighting and playing until the end, no matter what the score is. This is a huge opportunity for them to prove themselves, and for their players to show what they can do and possibly get contracts overseas.”
In this final act of the Bok home series, Smith and his comrades will look to detonate in the second half – not just to reclaim their reputation, but to reignite the myth of the Bomb Squad. Because in South African rugby folklore, it’s not enough to win; you must dominate, dismantle, and leave the turf smoking.
Come Saturday in Nelspruit, the fuse will be lit again. And this time, Kwagga promises—there will be fireworks.
SPRINGBOKS – 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Edwill van der Merwe, 13 Canan Moodie, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Cobus Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Neethling Fouche, 2 Marnus van der Merwe, 1 Boan Venter.
Bench: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Thomas du Toit, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Faf de Klerk, 22 Handre Pollard, 23 Damian Willemse.
