Springbok hooker Bongi Mbonambi downplays favorites tag ahead of match against Argentina
The Springboks are gearing up for a challenging encounter against Argentina in the Rugby Championship decider, taking place this Saturday in London. Despite their dominant 67-30 victory against the Pumas in Durban last week, Springbok hooker Bongi Mbonambi insists the match will be a fierce battle, highlighting the potential for a strong response from their opponents.
Leading the championship standings by a mere point, the Springboks are coming off impressive wins, including a record 43-10 against the All Blacks. However, Mbonambi, who is set to start from the bench, emphasizes the importance of maintaining focus. “If you watch last week’s game, you’ll see that it was not as easy as the score may suggest,” he explained.
“It definitely wasn’t a walk in the park in Durban, and over and above that, a lot can happen in a week in rugby, so we need to go out there and give our best on the field to get the result we want.”
When questioned about the tag of favorites, Mbonambi stated, “We don’t focus on those opinions; we approach each game day by day. When you think you are on top, you can be humbled quickly, so we’ll respect them going into this match. They’ll be hurting after last week, so we have a big challenge ahead.” He added that their preparation has been excellent, anticipating a rigorous contest: “It’s definitely going to be an arm-wrestle of a match. We expect a proper retaliation from them on Saturday.”
With Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Marnus van der Merwe also pushing for a spot in the hooker position this season, Mbonambi expressed his excitement about being named in the match-day squad. “It’s always an honor and privilege to be in the team – when one is not in the set-up, you really miss it,” he remarked.
He continued, “There is competition in every position, but we love it, and the coaches have shown that if you are good enough, they’ll pick you. The key is that when you get your chance, you have to play as well as you can and do the job on the day.”
Mbonambi also praised the growth and development of his fellow hookers: “It’s been great to see how Jan-Hendrik and Marnus have been growing and developing as players, and the competition between everyone is fantastic.”
The Boks will take a breather on Thursday to recover and mentally prepare for the clash, concluding their preparations with an official captain's run on Friday. The match is set to kick off at 15:00 and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.
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