Boks missing the hook
The Springboks are gambling with their World Cup title defence prospects by going all-in on Bongi Mbonambi and Malcolm Marx and not fully investing in support at hooker.
The Springboks are gambling with their World Cup title defence prospects by going all-in on Bongi Mbonambi and Malcolm Marx and not fully investing in support at hooker.
Bongi Mbonambi will captain the Springboks for the first time, while Deon Fourie will get a first start in a heavily-rotated side to face Argentina in a World Cup warm-up on Saturday.
Bongi Mbonambi says the Springboks are expecting a massive battle against the All Blacks in Auckland on Saturday, noting how impressively the hosts dealt with a powerful Los Pumas pack.
The Sharks were delighted to announce that hooker Bongi Mbonambi has put pen to paper on a new deal with the Durban outfit from next season.
Ireland icon Brian O’Driscoll believes compatriot Dan Sheehan’s form puts him ahead of Springboks Malcolm Marx and Bongi Mbonambi as the standout hooker on the planet.
Springbok hooker Bongi Mbonambi explains how playing rugby with a stuffed bag on a patch of dirt in the Eastern Free State made him fall in love with a game that showed him the best side of life.
Bongi Mbonambi has said he regrets the Sharks’ ill-discipline in their Champions Cup debut, but he’s not apologising to Antoine Dupont who has taken issue with South African clubs competing in Europe.
Take a look back at the last time the Springboks were in France, when Bongi Mbonambi sealed a famous second-half comeback with a try after the fulltime hooter.
Bongi Mbonambi has joined the Springboks in Buenos Aires on Monday after completing the initial stages of his recovery from the knee injury that has sidelined him since the second round of the Rugby Championship.
Eben Etzebeth let his stoic guard down as he grinned after celebrating his 100th Test for the Springboks with a series victory over Wales in Cape Town on Saturday.