Former British & Irish Lions captain Willie John McBride has launched a stinging attack on the use of Bomb Squads in modern rugby.

The 85-year-old, one of the game’s most revered figures, believes rugby has drifted too far from its roots, with the growing influence of substitutes fundamentally changing the contest.

“We’ve changed rugby from a game between 15 men to a sport played by 23 men, and it drives me crazy,” McBride said on the Ireland Rugby Social podcast. “They talk about Bomb Squads … that’s absolute nonsense.”

McBride, who captained the Lions to a famous series win over South Africa in 1974, contrasted today’s game with his own era, when replacements were limited strictly to injuries.

“We didn’t have replacements. If you had an injury for Ireland, you had to play on the wing because you knew the ball wasn’t going to get there,” he said. “If you could stay on the field, then you stayed on the field, and if you couldn’t, then you played with 14 players.”

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The former lock admitted the modern game has left him disillusioned.

“I’m going to be honest, this is something that really annoys me terribly,” McBride added. “We need to go back to a sport played between two teams of 15 men, with substitutes only coming on for injuries. Then we’ll see much better matches.”

McBride’s comments come after the Springboks again opted for a 7-1 split on the bench in their final Test of the year against Wales in Cardiff, a match they won 73-0.

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While acknowledging the effectiveness of such tactics, McBride warned of the dangers.

“It’s unfair; the chances of injuries are much greater because there are fresh men going up against men who are already tired,” he said. “The men they send on are all giants who can’t play for 80 minutes.”

His remarks reignite the debate over whether rugby’s evolving physical demands are being pushed too far in the pursuit of marginal gains.

Ireland star Mike Gibson was Test rugby’s first substitute when he took the place of Barry John for the Lions against South Africa in 1968. However, tactical replacements at international level was only introduced in 1996.

Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images