Veteran and long-term absentee Bongi Mbonambi, like utility forward Jan-Hendrik Wessels, remains a part of Rassie Erasmus’ Springbok hooker pool and future plans.
Mbonambi last played for South Africa against Argentina in the 2025 Rugby Championship, and the 35-year-old missed the majority of the 2025-26 season for the Sharks due to injury.
The 39-year-old Deon Fourie will back up Malcolm Marx against the All Blacks at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday, and Erasmus on Tuesday addressed his and fellow World Cup winner Mbonambi’s future in the green and gold.
“Bongi had a knee [injury] and then it’s a lower-back thing,” the Bok coach told the media. “He keeps us up to date and we WhatsApp every now and then to ask how he’s doing. But obviously the Sharks medical team must clear him first.
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“I’m not 100% sure which of the two injuries is keeping him out right now. But, as I say, we can’t pull him in here and let him play a first match again in a Test match.
“We’ll have to get him in and see him playing maybe a few Currie Cup games, and then maybe we can consider him again,” Erasmus added.
“I haven’t spoken to [Sharks coach] JP [Pietersen]; I’ve only spoken to Bongi. About three weeks ago, I thought he was a week away, but since then I can’t tell you. JP would know that.”
Fourie replaced Wessels on the Bok bench for the second match of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series, the 25-year-old having also featured prominently at prop for the world champions so far in 2026.
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Wessels faces stiff competition at loosehead from Boan Venter, Gerhard Steenekamp and the versatile Thomas du Toit, and Erasmus confirmed the Vodacom Bulls bruiser is in the mix as a possible successor for Marx.
“Jan-Hendrik Wessels is going to develop into a specialist reserve hooker,” he said.
“With Boan, Gerhard and Ox and Thomas – Thomas can also swing that way – it’s probably a place where Jan-Hendrik in our team will focus more at two.
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“We’re building him up slowly. He’s getting game time and he’s getting practice time. He’s getting good scrumming sessions against good guys in training sessions.
“And, ja – everybody’s going to say it’s my son-in-law! – André-Hugo Venter is still there,” Erasmus added.
“At this stage, we just feel that for this specific game we need a guy like Deon there.
“In the long run, Bongi, I know is really close to returning again. But Bongi has to play some proper matches now and get it under his belt before we can again look at him.”
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Photo: Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images
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Veteran and long-term absentee Bongi Mbonambi, like utility forward Jan-Hendrik Wessels, remains a part of Rassie Erasmus’ Springbok hooker pool and future plans.
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