Rassie Erasmus Reveals Springboks Star’s Return Plan and Jan-Hendrik Wessels’ New Role
- Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus addressed the futures of injured hooker Bongi Mbonambi and utility forward Jan-Hendrik Wessels in the national setup
- Mbonambi, 35, has been sidelined by a knee and lower-back injury and last featured for South Africa during the 2025 Rugby Championship
- Erasmus revealed what Mbonambi must do before earning a Springbok recall and outlined a new long-term position for Wessels in the squad
PAY ATTENTION: Mark Briefly News as a preferred source, and our content will appear higher in your Google feed!
Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus has confirmed that Bongi Mbonambi remains part of his hooker plans but will need to prove his fitness through competitive club rugby before being considered for a Test recall.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday ahead of Saturday's Rugby's Greatest Rivalry fixture against the All Blacks at Cape Town Stadium, Erasmus shed light on Mbonambi's prolonged absence and what a return to the green and gold would require.
**Mbonambi's Road Back to the Springboks**
The 35-year-old last pulled on a Springbok jersey against Argentina in the 2025 Rugby Championship and has since missed most of the 2025-26 season for the Sharks due to a knee problem followed by a lower-back complaint. Erasmus acknowledged he has kept in contact with the hooker directly, but admitted uncertainty about the current status of his recovery.
"Bongi had a knee [injury] and then it's a lower-back thing," Erasmus said. "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."
PAY ATTENTION: You can now search for all your favourite news and topics on Briefly News.
The coach added that Mbonambi cannot simply return in a Test match without match sharpness behind him. "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," he said. "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."
**Wessels Earmarked as Future Specialist Reserve Hooker**
With veteran Deon Fourie, 39, replacing Jan-Hendrik Wessels on the bench for the second match of the series, Erasmus clarified that the 25-year-old Wessels is being groomed for a specialist role at hooker rather than prop going forward.
"Jan-Hendrik Wessels is going to develop into a specialist reserve hooker," Erasmus said, noting that stiff loosehead competition from Ox Nché, Boan Venter, Gerhard Steenekamp and Thomas du Toit made the transition logical. "We're building him up slowly. He's getting game time and he's getting practice time."
Erasmus also flagged André-Hugo Venter as another option in the hooker pool. "And, ja — everybody's going to say it's my son-in-law! — André-Hugo Venter is still there," he added.
PAY ATTENTION: Follow Briefly News on Twitter and never miss the hottest topics! Find us at @brieflyza!
Source: Briefly News
