Mbonambi missed the Springboks game against New Zealand in Johannesburg last month, along with both matches against Australia in Adelaide and in Sydney. The 51-test stalwart was dearly missed after he returned home following the injury, as the world champions struggled with accuracy in the lineouts and dominance in the maul.
South Africa hooker Bongi Mbonambi takes part in a training session at Fuchu Asahi Football Park in Tokyo on 22 October 2019, ahead of their Japan 2019 Rugby World Cup semifinal against Wales. Picture: AFP
World Cup winning hooker Bongi Mbonambi has re-joined the national squad in Buenos Aires after completing the initial stages of his recovery from the knee injury that sidelined him for the last three Rugby Championship Tests.
Mbonambi missed the Springboks game against New Zealand in Johannesburg last month, along with both matches against Australia in Adelaide and in Sydney. The 51-test stalwart was dearly missed after he returned home following the injury, as the world champions struggled with accuracy in the lineouts and dominance in the maul.
The hooker will be assessed by the team’s medical staff to determine how far along he is into his recovery this week, as they prepare for their penultimate match of the competition against Argentina on Saturday. He joins Malcolm Marx, Joseph Dweba, and Deon Fourie who are hookers in the squad.
Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber thinks Mbonambi will miss out the match day squad this week, but he believes he should be in contention for selection for the team’s Rugby Championship Test against the Pumas in Durban on Saturday, 24 September.
“It’s great to have Bongi back in the set-up and this week will be a fantastic opportunity to re-integrate him into our systems and for our medical team to assess his recovery,” said Nienaber.
Mbonambi is expected to begin training this week. On Tuesday Nienaber will announce his team that will face Argentina this weekend .
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