Technique – Bench in “6 – 2” or “5 – 3”, the new favorite strategy of coaches

Football fans are used to this thing. While waiting for the weekend’s match, they are wondering whether their team will play in 4-3-3, 4-5-1, without forgetting the 4-4-2 with its variations such as the diamond or well this system which is gaining more and more followers the 3-5-2 which has the advantage of transforming into 5-3-2. Multiple combinations that can confuse the issue, eat into the brains of opponents and bring fame to managers recognized worldwide for their belief in this or that system. Rugby is simpler: eight forwards and seven three-quarters, with no possibility of standing out by trying the opposite. In terms of team composition, the initial equation is simple and known to all, and for a very long time it was written in stone that the substitutes’ bench was made up of four then five forwards (with the appearance of the eighth substitute to allow for three front-line players) and three three-quarters.

It was like this until the appearance of a bench made up of six forwards and only two three-quarters. A boldness that has often been confined to the exceptional, to a one-night bet, a sort of all in (mat, poker) for poker enthusiasts, before becoming more and more frequent, particularly at Stade Toulouse. A trend which has been reinforced in France with the implementation by the National Rugby League of the rule of twelve changes, offering the possibility for coaches to replace an injured player with another already out for tactical reasons within the limit of four players. This new feature made it possible to note a significant reduction in injuries lasting more than eight days. It was also a great gateway to thinking about a new strategy for managers in the composition of their bench since the injury is no longer an ax.

The Boks dictate their law

Rugby has thus emerged from its shackles, shifting into a new originality which has transformed it beyond what one might think at first glance, and which goes beyond French rugby. The international scene has only accentuated this revolution, even though it is impossible to go beyond the eight changes (except for concussion and front-line players). Fabien Galthié explained it during his first mandate after establishing that the XV of France had let victories slip away in the last ten minutes: “In the composition of our team, today, we start at the end of the match. We want to see what it will look like in the last minutes so that it is solid in all sectors, especially in emotional intensity. It’s a question of cohesion and collective experience We need a very experienced, very solid team of finishers to achieve these victories that we have in the last actions. An analysis made when opting for a 6-2 in major events: “This tactical option, when we put it in place, there is always a risk but it’s twice (New Zealand in November 2021 and Ireland during the 2022 6 Nations Tournament) that it produces its positive, very positive effects.”

The last World Cup confirmed that the composition of a bench could be a formidable weapon. South Africa caused a sensation with its “Bomb squad” made up of seven forwards for a single three-quarter, while the Springboks had already caused a sensation in 2019 by normalizing their 6-2 on the bench. The 7-1, tested at Twickenham against New Zealand (35-7), had become a source of concern for the Boks’ opponents during the World Cup, no longer knowing which foot to dance on and how to adapt to the composition of the South African bench which varied from one match to another.