Bok captain Bongi Mbonambi ‘a no nonsense leader who demands respect’

Springbok hooker Bongi Mbonambi will captain the team for the first time when they take on Argentina in their first World Cup warm-up match in Buenos Aires on Saturday.

Mbonambi is a surprise pick for captain, with him having not been one of the names bandied about to lead the team on an interim basis in the absence of Siya Kolisi, with Lukhanyo Am and Thomas du Toit thought to have a been ahead of him in the order.

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Du Toit is the captain of the Sharks and captained the SA A team last year, while Am as the Sharks vice-captain and has been posited as a future Bok captain, however the team management have admitted they prefer a captain amongst the forwards.

“I am extremely proud of Bongi. He has been a brilliant leader for us since I arrived back in 2018. Bongi is one of our game drivers and he is a no nonsense leader. He is a guy that leads by example by doing the hard stuff,” said coach Jacques Nienaber at the team announcement presser on Tuesday.

“He doesn’t mince his words. He’s a straight shooter and is a guy that demands respect. He has a great aura around him and I am extremely happy for him.”

Hostile environment

Mbonambi, as well as a number of fringe players will be getting the perfect taste of what to expect at the World Cup in France, kicking off next month, as they face a hostile environment in Argentina, with the hosts fired up to bounce back from the past weekend’s loss.

“I expect pretty much what we got at Ellis Park, times 10, in terms of the intensity and emotion. I said to the players that if they can think back to playing France in Marseille (last year) that’s the hostility we will probably feel on the weekend,” said Nienaber.

“So for this group it is great preparation for the World Cup. It will be that hostile and pressure environment for the players. I think it’s a great opportunity for us to get a little bit of that. It is going to be hectic in there.

“It also depends on who they are going to select. I know that (Agustin) Creevy is on 99 Tests and he will be the first Argentinian to get to a century. So if he is selected there will be a lot of emotion.”