Bongi Mbonambi

Bongi Mbonambi

Full name	Mbongeni Theo Mbonambi
Date of birth	(1991-01-07) 7 January 1991 (age 34)
Place of birth	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
Position(s) Hooker Current team Sharks / Sharks (Currie Cup) Youth career 2007 Griffons 2008–2012 Blue Bulls Amateur team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) 2011 TUT Vikings 3 (0) 2013–2014 UP Tuks 8 (5) Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) 2012–2014 Blue Bulls 30 (5) 2012–2014 Bulls 15 (0) 2015–2021 Stormers 73 (25) 2015–2021 Western Province 29 (30) 2021– Sharks 40 (95) Correct as of 25 January 2025 International career Years Team Apps (Points) 2009 South Africa Schools 2011 South Africa Under-20 5 (0) 2016–present South Africa 78 (70) 2016 Springbok XV 1 (0) Correct as of 31 August 2024
Medal record Men's Rugby union Representing   South Africa Rugby World Cup 2019 Japan Squad 2023 France Squad

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]}

Test match record

As of 15 September 2025

Against	P	W	D	L	Try	Pts	%Won
Argentina	10	9	0	1	1	5	90
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	8	6	0	2	3	15	75
Total	80	55	1	24	15	75	68.75

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]

Try	Opposing team	Location	Venue	Competition	Date	Result	Score
1	Italy	Padua, Italy	Stadio Euganeo	2017 end-of-year tests	25 November 2017	Win	6–35
2	Australia	Brisbane, Australia	Lang Park	2018 Rugby Championship	8 September 2018	Loss	23–18
3	France	Saint-Denis, France	Stade de France	2018 end-of-year tests	10 November 2018	Win	26–29
4	Argentina	Salta, Argentina	Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena	2019 Rugby Championship	10 August 2019	Win	13–46
5	Namibia	Toyota, Japan	Toyota Stadium	2019 Rugby World Cup Pool B match	28 September 2019	Win	57–3
6
7	Italy	Fukuroi, Japan	Shizuoka Stadium	2019 Rugby World Cup Pool B match	4 October 2019	Win	49–3
8	Georgia	Pretoria, Johannesburg	Loftus Versfeld Stadium	2021 mid-year tests	2 July 2021	Win	40–9
9	Australia	Gold Coast, Australia	Robina Stadium	2021 Rugby Championship	12 September 2021	Loss	28–26
10	Wales	Pretoria, South Africa	Loftus Versfeld Stadium	2022 Wales tour of South Africa	2 July 2022	Win	32–29
11	Wales	Cape Town, South Africa	Cape Town Stadium	2022 Wales tour of South Africa	16 July 2022	Win	30–14
12	Italy	Genoa, Italy	Stadio Luigi Ferraris	2022 end-of-year tests	19 November 2022	Win	21–63
13	New Zealand	London, England	Twickenham Stadium	2023 Rugby World Cup warm-up matches	25 August 2023	Win	7–35
14	Wales	London, England	Twickenham Stadium	2024 mid-year tests	22 June 2024	Win	41–13
15	New Zealand	Johannesburg, South Africa	Ellis Park Stadium	2024 Rugby Championship	31 August 2024	Win	31–27

References

1. "Bongi Mbonambi player profile". rugbyworldcup.com. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
2. "SA Under-20 squad named". Sport24. 6 May 2011. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
3. "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.
4. "South Africa World Cup squad: Siya Kolisi wins fitness battle, Eben Etzebeth backed, Aphiwe Dyantyi dropped". Independent. 26 August 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
5. "England 12-32 South Africa: Springboks win World Cup for record-equalling third time". BBC. 2 November 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
6. "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.
7. 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.
8. "World Rugby clears Mbonambi due to insufficient evidence of racial slur". Guardian. 26 October 2023. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
9. Doel, Jon (7 November 2023). "Bongi Mbonambi breaks silence on Tom Curry and slams 'unprofessional' England". Wales Online. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
10. "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