Roman swords vs Greek swords

[M. Caecilius]

The Spanish sword was multi-purpose, wasn't it?

That's pretty clear from what George and I have quoted from Polybius (6.6, 3.114, and 18.30).

But it's also been stated frequently that a stab is usually more effective than a slash. It's faster, penetrates deeper (though not as broadly), leaves you less exposed, and the opponent has less of a warning that it's coming, you also risk much less to unbalance yourself. (I haven't tried fighting with a sword, but done some martial arts also involving weapons, so I can add some actual experience to the theory).

In short, the Gladius Hispaniensis can be used for slashing and thrusting, but, except in situations such as George, Byron and others have described, thrusting seems to be the more common technique.