| Bongi Mbonambi | |
| Fullname: | Mbongeni Theo Mbonambi |
| Birth Date: | 7 January 1991 |
| Birth Place: | Bethlehem, Orange Free State, South Africa |
| Height: | [1] |
| Weight: | 108kg (238lb) |
| School: | St. Alban's College |
| University: | TUT |
| Position: | Hooker |
| Currentclub: | / |
| Youthyears1: | 2007 |
| Youthyears2: | 2008–2012 |
| Years1: | 2012–2014 |
| Apps1: | 30 |
| Points1: | 5 |
| Years2: | 2012–2014 |
| Apps2: | 15 |
| Points2: | 0 |
| Years3: | 2015–2021 |
| Apps3: | 73 |
| Points3: | 25 |
| Years4: | 2015–2021 |
| Apps4: | 29 |
| Points4: | 30 |
| Years5: | 2021– |
| Apps5: | 19 |
| Points5: | 50 |
| Amatyears1: | 2011 |
| Amatapps1: | 3 |
| Amatpoints1: | 0 |
| Amatyears2: | 2013–2014 |
| Amatapps2: | 8 |
| Amatpoints2: | 5 |
| Repyears1: | 2009 |
| Repteam1: | South Africa Schools |
| Repyears2: | 2011 |
| Repteam2: | South Africa Under-20 |
| Repcaps2: | 5 |
| Reppoints2: | 0 |
| Repyears3: | 2016–present |
| Repteam3: | South Africa |
| Repcaps3: | 73 |
| Reppoints3: | 70 |
| Repyears4: | 2016 |
| Repteam4: | Springbok XV |
| Repcaps4: | 1 |
| Reppoints4: | 0 |
| Clubupdate: | 1 January 2023 |
| Repupdate: | 31 August 2024 |
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 as well as the South Africa national rugby team. He previously played for the, 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]
On 28 May 2016, Mbonambi was included in a 31-man squad for their three-test match series against a touring team. Mbonambi was named in South Africa's squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.[3] South Africa went on to win the tournament, defeating England 32-12 in the final.[4] 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.[5] It was speculated that Mbonambi used the term "wit kant" in afrikaans meaning "white side".[6] After investigating the allegation, World Rugby found insufficient evidence and closed the case.[7]
Mbonambi said: "I think it is a very sad thing when you live in a first world country [England], you think the rest of the world speaks English.
"It was unprofessional on their part. They could have gone on a website and looked for an English dictionary and looked for the word in Afrikaans.
"People understood [in South Africa] but obviously their side was misunderstood."[8]
| Against | P | W | D | L | Try | Pts | %Won | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |||
| 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 10 | |||
| 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | |||
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | |||
| 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 10 | |||
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 | |||
| 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 45 | 27 | 1 | 17 | 9 | 45 |
| Tries | Opposition | Location | Venue | Competition | Date | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Padua, Italy | Test match | |||||
| 1 | Brisbane, Australia | ||||||
| 1 | Paris, France | Test match | |||||
| 1 | Salta, Argentina | ||||||
| 2 | Aichi Prefecture, Japan | ||||||
| 1 | Fukuroi, Japan | ||||||
| 1 | Pretoria, South Africa | ||||||
| 1 | Gold Coast, Australia |