It seems to have become a one-way freeway between Durban and Cape Town just lately when it comes to the movement of players - Suleiman Hartzenberg has gone to the Hollywoodbets Sharks on loan, but otherwise it has been the DHL Stormers taking in exports.
Ntuthuko Mchunu’s career has taken off after he moved from the Sharks, where he was playing under the shadow of the outstanding Springbok loosehead prop Ox Nche. Siya Kolisi has returned to where his senior career started. From July Sharks lock Corne Rahl will be a Stormers player.
And now Bongi Mbonambi has made the reverse of the Great Trek by flying over the Drakensberg back to the city that was his home until 2021.
Stormers director of rugby John Dobson, no doubt aware of the problems the Sharks encountered with their Galactico approach to contracting when the American company, MVM Investments, first took over, has always been very wary of avoiding any narrative that might cast his club as going down the same path.
For instance, when Rahl’s move was announced just under two weeks ago, it was explicitly stated that Rahl was initially from the Western Cape (Montagu) and was schooled at Oakdale (a three-and-a-half hour drive from Cape Town on the N2).
Kolisi was coming for family reasons and not much money, and so on and so on, and it is the same with Mbonambi, now 35 but apparently still desperate to have one more crack at playing for the Boks and maybe this time reaching a World Cup final where he plays more than just a few minutes (he was bizarrely an early casualty in both the Yokohama and Paris finals that the Boks won in 2019 and 2023 respectively).
NOT BREAKING THE BANK
Mbonambi is not breaking the Stormers’ bank by switching allegiance from the Sharks, where he was no longer wanted, as apparently SA Rugby are paying much of his bill due to their desire to see him get game time. Mbonambi was lined up to join Bordeaux-Begles as a medical joker, but it is better for South Africa that he plays at home so his form can be better assessed.
A move back to the club he represented 74 times before moving to the Sharks was only a recent mission for Dobson, and he explained it around the injury concerns he suddenly has at hooker, with both Andre-Hugo Venter and Deon Fourie set to be ruled out for months after sustaining injuries against Scarlets last weekend.
In Venter’s case it is two months, with his elbow being an issue and if there is an operation required we may not see him for another 11 months. With Fourie it is a hamstring, and Dobson has speculated that he would be absent for three months.
“Although we used him as a looseforward against the Scarlets we were intending to use Deon as a hooker against Ulster this weekend,” said Dobson.
The back up hooker Lukhanyo Vokozela joined Venter in being injured against Scarlets, and JJ Kotze is still serving a suspension that will last until the away Investec Champions Cup trip to Bordeaux in mid-December.
So there is a depth issue at hooker, with Vernon Paulo set to return to the starting team for the Ulster game and Mbonambi playing off the bench, while veteran Scarra Ntubeni has come out of retirement to provide further back-up.
NEEDS GAME TIME SOONEST
“Bongi’s in good physical shape but he hasn’t trained. That’s why we were so anxious to rush him in, for want of a better phrase,” explained Dobson.
“We’re going into a break, so if he doesn’t play now, it’s going to be four or five weeks before he plays again. I don’t think that’s ideal. Hookers are diesel, they need to scrum and they need to maul. We have to get him back on the field to accelerate that journey.
“His throwing is no issue whatsoever. Scrum time is no issue. Learning our maps, way of playing, is maybe a bit more of a challenge. He’s one of the best set-piece workers around. We can’t pretend he’s going to blow the lights out with his running game.”
Dobson has worked with Mbonambi before so has no issues with his level of professionalism, although it is understood that there were problems with his attitude at the Sharks, which is what led to the rift between him and his employers.
“It was common knowledge that Bongi’s relationship with the Sharks was coming to an end and we had a problem at hooker. I gave Bongi a ring and said ‘if you do finish with the Sharks, would you be interested in joining us?’
There were some other conversations around Bongi’s future over the next few months and what his aspirations were about getting back into the national team. He said he’d love to. The Sharks expedited things and signed the release so that he could come and play for us. It was just good timing.
“I worked with Bongi for quite a few years at the Stormers. There were high levels of trust and professionalism. I worked with him at the Baa Baas as well. I can’t speak for what happened at the Sharks, but our experience with Bongi has always been extremely positive. It’s not a long term contract. He’s really coming in as injury cover.”