Bongi Mbonambi
South African rugby union player
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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]
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| 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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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]
