Cheslin Kolbe makes frank admission over 'risk' of Springboks' 7-1 split

South Africa winger Cheslin Kolbe appears to be under no illusion that Jacques Nienaber’s decision to name a 7-1 split on the bench is not fraught with danger, but backs the versatility of the players in the squad.

Jacques Nienaber named seven forwards on the bench to face Ireland on Saturday at the Stade de France which has duly been heavily discussed. When asked about the selection, the starting left winger said he respects the decision made by the coaches.

The Springboks have already adopted this tactic when they made a late change to the make-up of the bench before facing the All Blacks at Twickenham in their final World Cup warm-up. The results were positive in London, which is probably why Kolbe and his teammates have such faith in the tactic.

Reinach is the sole back on the bench for the world champions, and while Kolbe conceded that that is a “risk”, he said that the team is fortunate to have plenty of positional versatility amongst the starting XV and the bench to work around a problem should it arise.

“We respect the decision of the coaches and we as players just go out, whoever gets selected, to prepare as well as we can throughout the week,” the 2019 World Cup winner Kolbe said.

“I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of [talking] about it, but that’s things we as players can’t control. We just focus on the things we can control, and make sure that we don’t get distracted by what’s said.

“There is risk added as well, but we are quite fortunate to have players that can play in various positions and do as well as the player that’s been selected to start there.

“We just back each other up whenever we go out on that field and make sure that we play for each other. We support each other, whether it’s a good or bad decision.”