New Zealand are eager to unleash their own version of the Springboks’ famed Bomb Squad and “get into the trenches” in the World Cup final, says All Blacks flank Dalton Papali’i.
The famed group of South African replacements has pulled the Springboks through successive playoff victories over tournament hosts France and then England.
They proved especially crucial in the Springboks’ 16-15 win over England, with replacement lock RG Snyman scoring a 69th-minute try, before replacement flyhalf Handre Pollard slotted a long-range penalty from a scrum won by the backup front row.
MORE: All Blacks to defuse Bomb Squad
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s final in Paris, Papali’i, who has played the two playoffs from the bench, explained that he was part of a group of players taking inspiration from the TV series Band of Brothers, based on the World War II exploits of the famous Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, of the 101st Airborne Division.
“I’ll tell you a quick story, I’ve got a little group happening in the team room at our hotel and we’re watching Band of Brothers and the 101st Airborne and their Easy Company,” Papali’i said, when asked about the Bomb Squad.
“So, I made a little joke saying ‘you know they’ve got the Bomb Squad, so we could have the Easy Company. We want to go and finish the job and be in the trenches’.
“Talking about the Bomb Squad, man they’ve proven themselves,” Papali’i added. “They can come on and change a game like that. So, we sort of need to identify whoever is on the bench and that, need to really be screwed on up top and give it hell.”
Papali’i also spoke about when the reality of being in the World Cup final will start to hit the All Blacks squad.
“This is the moment on top of the mountain that everyone chases, every kid. You know growing up, you sort of have that thought, ‘Oh man, one day I would love to be there’ but to make it a reality, to go through all the hard yards getting to this game, ooof, it’s going to be a big one.
“I think it will probably hit me when it comes to the captain’s run or the morning of the game, where you think ‘this is it’. There’s gonna be a lot of excitement levels in that but what the leaders have done really well in this team is being able to put a cap on it and (say) ‘OK boys, we realise you are feeling this right now, enjoy it but when the whistle blows, we’ve got a job to do’. It makes it more clear in the head.
“We talk about having fire in the belly and ice in the head.”
Photo: Alan Lee/Photosport/BackpagePix
