Boks toying with 'smart' but controversial 7/1 bench

As South Africa weigh up their options before naming their team for Sunday's Rugby World Cup quarter-final against hosts France, one of the biggest questions being whispered in the galleries is: will they play the 7/1 bench?

READ | Freek Burger bats for Ben O'Keeffe as referee pressure heats up for RWC quarter-final

For the uninitiated this may seem to be a technical detail akin to tyre choices in Formula One but in a 23-man game it is of considerable importance.

But what is it and why has it polarised the rugby world to such an extent that Australia coach Eddie Jones can describe it as "daring and courageous" while his compatriot Matt Williams, a former Scotland coach, called it "not morally correct"?

Visit News24's Rugby World Cup 2023 zone for fixtures, pools, profiles, top stories

In brief, each team has 15 starters and eight replacements, traditionally selected to cover all parts of the team.

Usually this would mean a split of five forwards - three for the front row, one each for second row and loose trio - as well as three backs. They would include a scrumhalf, a flyhalf and one utility back who might slot in at centre, fullback or on the wing.

In recent years, it has become more commonplace to see a 6-2 split with the extra forward coming in for one of the backs.

What the South African management team of Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber have done is seen as pretty radical - having seven forwards on the bench and just one back.

On top of that, they have opted to change all seven at the same time, introducing the so-called "Shock Boks" around the 50-minute mark.

"The 7/1 split is really smart," former Springbok flyhalf Joel Stransky told AFP before the pool match against Ireland.

"It's risky, though. If (flyhalf)