Jacques Nienaber says Bongi Mbonambi’s ability to communicate with the referee is a big reason why the veteran hooker has been appointed Springbok captain against Argentina.
Mbonambi is set to earn his 60th Test cap when he leads the Springboks for the first time in his career in the World Cup warm-up against Los Pumas in Buenos Aires on Saturday.
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He takes over the responsibilities in the absence of Siya Kolisi, who is making encouraging progress following surgery to his knee, and fellow stand-in captains Eben Etzebeth and Duane Vermeulen, who remained in South Africa with a group of players in a conditioning camp.
“Being a hooker, Bongi is a guy who talks to the ref the majority of the time in terms of scrums and lineouts,” Nienaber said, after naming the team on Tuesday evening. “The way he communicates with referees is exceptional and as captain, that’s probably going to be one of the main things.
“You want one guy to be speaking to the referee and it should be him. When there are discussions around set pieces and scrums, it’s normally the hookers.
“When your captain is Siya Kolisi, he may not necessarily understand the ins and outs of the scrum, even though he’s part of the scrum. In our team, it’s the hooker who talks to the ref about the scrums and Bongi must do what he normally does when he speaks to the referee.
“He’ll be our voice and he must do what he does, with the same being applicable from a playing perspective.
“It may look left-field from the outside, but if you speak to anyone in the team, it’s not a left-field choice.”
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Mbonambi has been part of the Springboks’ core leadership for a number of years, but will be taking on the role of good cop when it comes to approaching the referee on Saturday.
“He’s been a brilliant leader for us since 2018. He’s one of our game drivers,” Nienaber said. “He’s a no-nonsense leader, someone who leads by example by doing the hard stuff. He doesn’t mince his words and is a straight shooter.
“He’s a guy that demands respect and I often say that if there’s a person walking into a room with people having their elbows on the table and when he sits up straight, they follow suit.
“He’s got an aura about him and I’m proud of him.”
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