Highly-rated former SA Schools and SA Under 20 hooker Bongi Mbonambi will join Western Province Rugby at the start of the 2015 season.
The mobile, yet powerful hooker will move from Pretoria at the conclusion of the 2014 Absa Currie Cup season and will provide valuable front row depth for the DHL Stormers ahead of the 2015 Vodacom Super Rugby competition.
WP Director of Rugby Gert Smal said: “We’re excited at the prospect of Bongi playing his rugby in the Cape from next year onwards.
“We’ve tracked his progress and believe that he can reach his full potential here. At the same time, hooker is a specialist position and you need depth in crucial positions. We are confident that Bongi will push the likes of Tiaan Liebenberg and Scarra Ntubeni for a starting place.”
Mbonambi, 23, is looking forward to furthering his career in the Cape in 2015.
The hooker told www.wprugby.com: “I am looking forward to the next chapter of my career. Not only is Cape Town a beautiful city, but there is also plenty of history and excellence associated with a great union like Western Province.
“I’m not expecting any hand-outs and I know that I have to play my best rugby to nail down a regular place in the DHL Stormers or DHL Western Province teams.”
“But that is an exciting prospect for me and why I want to continue to give my all for the Bulls before moving to the Cape ahead of next season.”
Mbonambi, who was born in Bethlehem, weights 102 kilograms and is 1,86 metres tall.
He played for SA Schools in 2009 and represented the SA Under-20 team in the 2011 IRB Junior World Championships in Italy, which saw him play alongside DHL Stormers and DHL Western Province stars Eben Etzebeth, Siya Kolisi and Nizaam Carr.
Welcome and good luck.
Just please throw straight at line out time, that’s what we really want from our hooker.
Will he get more game time than he did at the Bulls? Not likely.
Good luck Bongi, hope he has a prosperous career (except when playing against the Bulls)
@ Lion4ever:
Bongi just needs to be fit for 3 games in a row and he will get plenty of game time.
@ MacroBull:
Is he any good?
Stormersboy wrote:
We need to get Hondo’s opinion on Bongi….I’m sure he has a file on him
@ nortierd:
I doubt that there is anything useful in there…
Stormersboy wrote:
Well he came through age group level and at stages was the best in the country.
Depends on how you define what is “good”
Any hooker in the country will have a hard time when compared to two of the best hookers in the world at The springboks disposal.
Is he good? Not sure, but deserves a fair shot.
7 @ MacroBull:
Then why didn’t he get a fair shot by the Bulls?
I remember earlier in the season how Callie was given hell on here, yet he was never lifted out of the team by Bongi?
@ nortierd:
was was ross given free reigns? Why why did they wait 16 games for JJ to come right?
Fark knows nortierdier
Think he might have a chink or two. But maybe Smal can help.
9 @ MacroBull:
The mind of a coach…..almal het maar hulle favorites MB.
AC met Grant en Deon op haker…so Ludeke is maar dieselfde.
Probleem is, hulle kan nie n speler koop en n groot hoo-hah daaroor maak, en dan nie die ou kies nie, dan lyk hulle stupid en dis n erkenning dat hulle n fout gemaak het.
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