Hooker Bongi Mbonambi must play out the first hour against Ireland on Saturday, and be as influential for the Springboks as Malcolm Marx, according to MARK KEOHANE.
Widely considered the best hooker on the planet, Marx wrestled the Bok No 2 jumper away from Mbonambi in 2023, before the World Cup winner was ruled out of the remainder of this year’s tournament with a long-term knee injury.
Mbonambi, too, is rated as one of the best in the game, but the 32-year-old’s game time at Test level has been limited due to Marx’s impact as one of the original members of the Bomb Squad.
OPINION: Viva Rassie, long live the 7-1 split!
Top-ranked Ireland will face the Boks at the Stade de France, in a World Cup Pool B clash that will be decisive for both teams’ quarter-final ambitions. Writing for TimesLIVE, Keohane argues that Mbonambi has a greater role to play in South Africa’s title defence, especially with loose forwards Deon Fourie and Marco van Staden as understudies.
“Mbonambi’s Test career has coincided with that of Marx, which has been a blessing for the strength of the Boks, but also a personal curse in that Mbonambi’s game time has been restricted to an average of 32 minutes a Test match,” he writes.
“It is especially important that Mbonambi’s match contribution goes beyond the hour because he is pivotal to so much that makes the Springboks set piece so strong.
“I have no doubt Fourie and Van Staden can do a back-up job, but the key is that Mbonambi does the primary job for at least the opening hour.”
Photo: Gavin Barker/BackpagePix
