“If you need a leader to lead a bunch of dogs, want a guy to lead a bunch of dogs, then he is the guy. He is the main dog.” That is how Jacques Nienaber describes Bongi Mbonambi in Chasing The Sun 2.
For six years, Mbonambi has been tasked with setting the tone for the Springbok pack, but has also grown into an influential leader during this time.
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Mbonambi first captained the Springboks in the 2023 Rugby World Cup warm-up match against Argentina in Buenos Aires and would be called on to lead the team during the tournament itself, in the tense finales to the playoffs against France and England when Siya Kolisi was substituted.
While a few eyebrows were raised when Mbonambi was announced as captain for the Argentina match, Nienaber quickly shut down questions around his leadership abilities.
“He’s been a brilliant leader for us since 2018. He’s one of our pressure points and game drivers,” Nienaber said.
“He’s a no-nonsense leader, someone who leads by example by doing the hard stuff. He doesn’t mince his words and is a straight shooter.
“He’s a guy who demands respect and I often say that if there’s a person walking into a room with people having their elbows on the table and when he sits up straight, they follow suit.
“He’s got an aura about him and I’m proud of him.’
It speaks volumes of how highly Mbonambi is valued as a leader when it was revealed in the documentary that Rassie Erasmus told him to get ready to take over as captain of the Springboks, as part of a genius shake-up of a disjointed leadership group after the pool-stage loss to Ireland.
Erasmus’ bombshell during the post-match Monday meeting probably leaned more to ending a feud between Duane Vermeulen, Eben Etzebeth and Siya Kolisi, but it also said plenty about Mbonambi’s value as a leader in the team.
There was more evidence of Mbonambi’s leadership in the RWC playoffs.
With Kolisi substituted in the 45th minute, it was left to Mbonambi to captain the Springboks through a thrilling quarter-final against the hosts that went into overtime.
An end-to-end match was decided by a long-range penalty from Handré Pollard, with Mbonambi reminding the flyhalf of their national pride when trusting him with the kick.
“We were still sort of discussing it, whether we were going to take it because it was a long way out, and the circumstances of the game,” Pollard told SuperSport.
“The next thing Bongi walks to the ref and tells him we’re taking the shot and then he screams in my ear – ‘This is for South Africa!’
“I looked at Bongi and said ‘alright’. It’s great to have your teammates backing you like that. It gives you a lot of confidence as a kicker.”
In the RWC semi-final against England, Mbonambi was once again called on to lead the team in the second half, anchoring the scrum with an incredible 80-minute effort as the Springboks came from behind to snatch victory.
After the game, Mbonambi sat alone in the change room, letting the emotions flow through him, eventually breaking down in tears, as he was comforted by the Springbok coaches.
“I’ve never seen him like that, that emotional. It’s pressure,” said Erasmus in Chasing The Sun 2.
“If you haven’t been Springbok captain and now you are doing it at the World Cup, that’s how much he took it upon himself to really try and help us, to prove to us that he can do it and we made the right choice, to say ‘Hell, man, thank you for backing me’.”
Apart from the leadership stakes, Mbonambi had plenty resting on his shoulders during the World Cup.
Malcolm Marx suffered a freak training ground injury during the pool stage and with the Springboks opting to use the opportunity to recall Pollard, it left Mbonambi as the only specialised hooker in the squad.
Essentially, the Springboks were counting on Mbonambi to produce three successive 80-minute performances in the World Cup.
But for being on the receiving end of a dangerous cleanout from All Blacks flank Shannon Frizell that tore his knee ligaments and forced him off in the opening minutes of the final, Mbonambi may have done it.
It has been an incredible rise for a man who, during his days as a junior player in Pretoria, was considered too small to make it in the professional ranks.
Starting his international career as an understudy to then Bok captain Adriaan Strauss in 2017, Mbonambi has also had to spend a period in Marx’s shadow.
Marx was the superstar who could do it all – carrying and offloading, while being a terrier of the opposition breakdown – during a period when Mbonambi was considered more functional than flash.
However, towards the end of 2018, Mbonambi started to emerge as his own player and show his unique attributes, particularly winning plaudits for scoring the decisive try against France in Paris during that year’s November tour.
Mbonambi’s reputation as South Africa’s dog of war was only enhanced during the 2019 World Cup, as his aggressive and uncompromising style was key to the Springboks’ abrasive game plan.
His combativeness is borne out by his motto: ‘When people tell me I can’t do something it makes me try even harder.’
When Mbonambi summarises England’s attempt to dethrone the Springboks by using the gritty tactics Erasmus devised in 2019, he gives further insight into why he is so respected within the dressing room.
“Many teams go to the gutter, but are they willing to live there? Are they willing to go below the gutter, where it’s even darker?’
Erasmus’ acknowledgment of Mbonambi’s leadership potential, as revealed in the documentary, highlights the high regard in which he is held within the team. With the uncertainty around the role
Kolisi will play for the Boks in the future, Mbonambi’s name has emerged as a leading candidate to take over the captaincy.
Kolisi’s situation has become complicated by his move to France to join Racing 92, as SA Rugby and Erasmus both prefer the Bok captain to be based locally.
Where the charismatic Kolisi has been the perfect dovetail to Erasmus’ ruthless pursuit of success, Mbonambi embodies the Bok coach’s win-at-all-costs mentality.
At 33, Mbonambi isn’t exactly a spring chicken, but Erasmus still has plenty of faith in his veterans, especially those who bring the warrior spirit to the team.
It is worth noting that Erasmus backed Vermeulen to make it to the 2023 RWC, when many figured that 2019 would be his last hurrah for the Springboks.
At 37, Vermeulen started in his final Test for the Springboks in the 2023 RWC final.
He wasn’t the only 37-year-old who ended up playing most of the Test, with utility forward Deon Fourie called on to replace the injured Mbonambi in the third minute of the match.
Mbonambi’s leadership qualities, honed over years of dedicated service, make him a natural choice to skipper the Springboks into the future.
His ability to inspire his teammates through his actions on the field sets him apart as a leader of men. Despite the challenges posed by Kolisi’s potential absence, the respect for Mbonambi remains a guiding force within the team.
Looking ahead, Mbonambi’s continued growth as a leader will be crucial to the Springboks’ success on the international stage.
Whether as captain or a key member of the squad, his influence and impact will power South Africa’s quest for a RWC three-peat.
