Bokdle #24: 25 Oct 2026

The mystery green and gold player on 25 Oct 2026 was Bongi Mbonambi: Test player #875 · Hooker · 82 caps · 15 tries · 2× World Cup winner · Captain · School: St. Alban's College.

Mbongeni "Bongi" Mbonambi is a two-time World Cup-winning hooker, known for his accurate lineout throwing, his power around the fringes and a remarkable knack for scoring tries from driving mauls. Born in Bethlehem in the Free State in January 1991, he went to St. Alban's College in Pretoria, played for South African Schools in 2009 and for the South Africa Under-20 side at the 2011 Junior World Championship.

Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban

Mbonambi made his Super Rugby debut for the Bulls in 2012 against the Crusaders in Pretoria, and also played Varsity Cup rugby for Tshwane University of Technology and UP Tuks. In 2015 he moved to Cape Town, and in seven seasons with the Stormers and Western Province he became a Test regular. He joined the Sharks in 2021.

A Springbok for a decade

He was first called up for the 2016 series against Ireland and made his debut off the bench in Port Elizabeth. Under Rassie Erasmus he became the starting hooker, and his first Test try came against Italy in Padua in 2017. He started the 2019 World Cup final in Yokohama, where South Africa beat England 32–12, though an injury took him off after 21 minutes.

France 2023

Four years later he started the final again, against New Zealand in Paris, but in the second minute Shannon Frizell fell on his leg, and the knee injury forced him off. With no specialist hooker on the bench, flanker Deon Fourie played the rest of the match at hooker, and the Springboks held on to win 12–11. Mbonambi had also captained South Africa twice, the first time against Argentina in August 2023, and he went on to win the 2025 Rugby Championship.

Test record

From bokhist.com's Test-by-Test list, up to October 2026:

• Springbok number: 875
• Debut: 25 June 2016, aged 25, off the bench against Ireland at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth (won 19–13)
• Most recent Test: 29 November 2025, aged 34, off the bench against Wales at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff (won 73–0)
• Tests: 82: 43 starts and 39 off the bench
• Results: 57 wins, 1 draw and 24 losses, a winning rate of 70%
• Starts by position: hooker 43
• Most often played against: New Zealand (14 Tests)
• Captain: 2 Tests, the first against Argentina on 5 August 2023

Did you know?

• He has scored 15 Test tries, a lot for a front-rower, many of them from lineout drives.
• His first name, Mbongeni, is usually shortened to Bongi.

Sources: bokhist.com, en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org

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