Bongi Mbonambi
| Full name | Mbongeni Theo Mbonambi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 7 January 1991 Bethlehem, Orange Free State, South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 108 kg (17 st 0 lb; 238 lb)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | St. Alban's College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University | TUT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Mbongeni Theo Mbonambi (born 7 January 1991), known mononymously as Bongi, is a South African professional rugby union player. He currently plays as a hooker for the Sharks as well as the South Africa national rugby team. He previously played for the Blue Bulls, making his senior debut during the 2012 Super Rugby season against the Crusaders in Pretoria. Mbonambi was a member of the South Africa Under 20 team that competed in the 2011 IRB Junior World Championship.[2]
International rugby
On 28 May 2016, Mbonambi was included in a 31-man South Africa squad for their three-test match series against a touring Ireland team.[3] Mbonambi was named in South Africa's squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.[4] South Africa went on to win the tournament, defeating England 32-12 in the final.[5] Mbonambi was also named in South Africa's squad for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
In the semi-final match of the 2023 Rugby World Cup against England, Mbonambi was accused of making a racial slur against Tom Curry.[6] It was speculated that Mbonambi used the term "wit kant" in Afrikaans, meaning "white side".[7] After investigating the allegation, World Rugby found insufficient evidence and closed the case.[8][9]
Honours
South Africa
- 2025 Rugby Championship winner
Test match record
- As of 29 November 2025
| Against | P | W | D | L | Try | Pts | %Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 11 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 90.91 |
| Australia | 9 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 10 | 44.44 |
| British & Irish Lions | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 66.67 |
| England | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 66.67 |
| France | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 83.33 |
| Georgia | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 100 |
| Ireland | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
| Italy | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 80 |
| Japan | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 |
| Namibia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 100 |
| New Zealand | 14 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 10 | 50 |
| Romania | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 |
| Scotland | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 |
| Wales | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 15 | 77.78 |
| Total | 82 | 57 | 1 | 24 | 15 | 75 | 69.51 |
Pld = Games Played, W = Games Won, D = Games Drawn, L = Games Lost, Tri = Tries Scored, Pts = Points Scored
International tries
- As of 15 September 2025 [10]
References
- ^ a b "Bongi Mbonambi player profile". rugbyworldcup.com. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ "SA Under-20 squad named". Sport24. 6 May 2011. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
- ^ "Squad of 31 ushers in new era of Springbok rugby". South African Rugby Union. 28 May 2016. Archived from the original on 31 May 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
- ^ "South Africa World Cup squad: Siya Kolisi wins fitness battle, Eben Etzebeth backed, Aphiwe Dyantyi dropped". Independent. 26 August 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
- ^ "England 12-32 South Africa: Springboks win World Cup for record-equalling third time". BBC. 2 November 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
- ^ "Bongi Mbonambi: World Rugby says 'insufficient evidence' to charge South Africa hooker over alleged racial slur at Tom Curry". Sky Sports. 26 October 2023. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
- ^ Meagher, Gerard (29 October 2023). "Government declares 'the Webb Ellis is in South Africa's kant'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
- ^ "World Rugby clears Mbonambi due to insufficient evidence of racial slur". Guardian. 26 October 2023. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
- ^ Doel, Jon (7 November 2023). "Bongi Mbonambi breaks silence on Tom Curry and slams 'unprofessional' England". Wales Online. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
- ^ "Rugby Union - ESPN Scrum - Statsguru - Player analysis - Malcolm Marx - Test matches". 5 January 2022.
External links
- Bongi Mbonambi at Springboks
- Bongi Mbonambi at European Professional Club Rugby
- Bongi Mbonambi at ESPNscrum (archived)
- Bongi Mbonambi at ItsRugby.co.uk
- Bongi Mbonambi at all.rugby/
- Bongi Mbonambi at rugbydatabase.co.nz/