Dobson gives Bongi the chance to corral some Bulls
WESTERN PROVINCE are going to unleash the broadshouldered Bongi Mbonambi on the Blue Bulls.
The former Pretoria resident is the only change in the WP starting line-up from last weekend’s bonus-point win against the Sharks. Mbonambi replaces Scarra Ntubeni in the No 2 jersey for the Currie Cup clash against their arch-rivals at Newlands on Friday night (kickoff 7.10pm)
After an up-and-down Super Rugby campaign, when he struggled to find his lineout jumpers, Mbonambi has started to come good in the Currie Cup.
His lineout accuracy has improved a lot, and over the last two matches against Griquas and the Sharks he has played a massive role in the tight-loose off the bench to give the Cape side momentum in the second half.
He also scored a try against the Sharks with basically his first touch of the match after some wonderful support play.
Ntubeni hasn’t really been poor after coming back from the Springbok camp, but he is clearly short of a few minutes in the legs. And, for such an important match, Mbonambi could be the right man to take on his former teammates in what is expected to be a brutal encounter.
“Bongi has had two good matches in a row, really, really good ones,” WP coach John Dobson said yesterday.
“It is rotational, but he deserves a start. It’s against his old team, and you always have to respect a player’s pride when it comes to this.”
Scrumhalf Nic Groom will continue as captain of the side after the medical team decided that No 8 Nizaam Carr is not fit enough to start after recovering from a hamstring injury.
But Carr forms part of a powerful WP bench, which also includes Ntubeni, Springbok scrumhalf Jano Vermaak, inform loosehead prop Oli Kebble and wing Kobus van Wyk.
Centre Huw Jones also retained his place in the starting line-up following his tidy performance against the Sharks, in which he set-up Dillyn Leyds’s try by bursting through a gap and drawing the last defender. WP TEAM FOR BLUE BULLS 15 Cheslin Kolbe, 14 Dillyn Leyds, 13 Johnny Kotze, 12 Huw Jones, 11 Seabelo Senatla, 10 Robert du Preez, 9 Nic Groom (captain), 8 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 7 Rynhardt Elstadt, 6 Chris Cloete, 5 Ruan Botha, 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Steven Kitshoff. 16 Scarra Ntubeni, 17 Oli Kebble, 18 Chris van Zyl, 19 Nizaam Carr, 20 Jano Vermaak, 21 Demetri Catrakilis, 22 Kobus van Wyk.