As a boy growing up in Bethlehem, Bongi Mbonambi never believed that he would one day captain South Africa, but having earned the captain’s armband, he says he will make it count against Argentina in Buenos Aires on Saturday night (9.10pm SA time kick-off).
The Springboks are playing a World Cup warm-up game against the Pumas, and the return of Mbonambi to the No 2 jersey is one of 13 changes to the Springbok team that edged past the Pumas in Johannesburg last week.
“This is a massive milestone in my career,” he said from the Argentinian capital yesterday.
“Growing up, this kind of rugby honour never entered my head. It has been a long journey for me in the green and gold, and I feel so privileged to be given this accolade.
“My family and my friends are so proud, and for me to get a message of encouragement from Siya (Kolisi) just made it real. It sank in.”
Mbonambi will earn his 60th cap for the Boks in the process, and he said that while the game is labelled as a warm-up, there is no such thing.
“When the Pumas run out in front of their passionate home crowd, there will be nobody thinking of taking it easy because it is a ‘warm-up’. There is no such thing in Test rugby. And definitely not in Buenos Aires.
“From our point of view, nobody has referred to it as a ‘friendly’. When we left Johannesburg, we did so with frustration because there were a number of things we got wrong in the match at Ellis Park.
“We have spent a lot of time tidying up those things and getting our preparation right for this game, and now we must execute accurately.”
Mbonambi said that while the captaincy will give him a lift, he understands the importance of playing his natural game.
“The big difference for me is that I will be talking to the ref, and ensuring there is a clear line of communication between him and our team,” the powerful No 2 said.
“First and foremost, I have a job to do as part of the forward pack and the team. I will just make sure we are on the good side of the referee, and that we don’t stray from our game plan.
“Also, the way our team works is that there are leaders all over the park. Steven Kitshoff is an experienced leader, Marvin Orie leads the lineouts. Jesse Kriel and Lukhanyo Am will marshal the attack and defence.”
Mbonambi said there is one other area that he will have to pay attention to.
“When you play the Pumas on their home turf, there is a lot of hostility. The crowd energy is unbelievable. You have to keep calm and stick to the task.
“There is also the major milestone for them of Agustin Creevy reaching his 100th cap. They will want to make it special for him.”
The 38-year-old Creevy will be playing off the bench, and will be Mbonambi’s direct opposition. The hooker is the first Puma to reach 100 caps and he is a huge crowd favourite.
“The Pumas will be up for the game, make no mistake,” Mbonambi said.
“It is never easy playing there at the best of times, and their captain, Julian Montoya, will know what buttons to press. Julian is a great leader, and he will get his team playing for Creevy.”
Teams For Buenos Aires
Argentina: 15 Martin Bogado 14 Emiliano Boffelli 13 Lucio Cinti 12 Santiago Chocobares 11 Santiago Cordero 10 Santiago Carreras 9 Gonzalo Bertranou 8 Juan Martin Gonzalez 7 Santiago Grondona 6 Pablo Matera 5 Tomas Lavanini 4 Pedro Rubiolo 3 Francisco Gomez Kodela 2 Julian Montoya (captain) 1 Thomas Gallo.
Bench: 16 Agustin Creevy 17 Joel Sclavi 18 Eduardo Bello 19 Guido Petti 20 Facundo Isa 21 Lautaro Bazan Velez 22 Tomas Albornoz 23 Matias Moroni.
Springboks: 15 Damian Willemse 14 Canan Moodie 13 Lukhanyo Am 12 André Esterhuizen 11 Makazole Mapimpi 10 Manie Libbok 9 Cobus Reinach 8 Jasper Wiese 7 Franco Mostert 6 Deon Fourie 5 Marvin Orie 4 Jean Kleyn 3 Thomas du Toit 2 Bongi Mbonambi (captain) 1 Trevor Nyakane.
Bench: 16 Joseph Dweba 17 Gerhard Steenekamp 18 Vincent Koch 19 Jean-Luc du Preez 20 Evan Roos 21 Herschel Jantjies 22 Jesse Kriel 23 Kurt-Lee Arendse.
IOL Sport