Mbonambi welcomed back in Boks camp

Springboks coach Jacques Nienaber has welcomed hooker Bongi Mbonambi back into the squad in Buenos Aires ahead of this weekend's Test against Argentina.

South Africa are set for their penultimate match in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship campaign for 2022 as they take on the Pumas at the José Amalfitani Stadium on Saturday (21:00 SA time).

Mbonambi has since re-joined the team after missing the previous three games, including the defeat to New Zealand in Johannesburg and the back-to-back clashes with Australia last month.

The Cell C Sharks forward was ruled out through a knee injury he picked up in the opening Championship Test against the All Blacks at Mbombela Stadium, but he is back in camp and set for assessment following his recovery.

œIt™s great to have Bongi back in the set-up and this week will be a fantastic opportunity to re-integrate him into our systems and for our medical team to assess his recovery, said Nienaber.

œHe is a key player in our structures, and he also has a strong presence off the field, so it is pleasing to welcome him back.

œBongi was expected to begin training this week, so it made sense to recall him to the squad so that our medical team can work closely with him to ensure that we can get him back on the field as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, SA Rugby confirmed on Sunday that flyhalf Elton Jantjie and team dietician Zeenat Simjee have been sent home from Argentina following reports of a romantic affair between the pair during their stay in Sabie last month.

"No team protocols were breached, but the individuals are returning to South Africa to attend to these personal reports and to eliminate any distractions to the team's preparations for the Test against Argentina," read the statement from the union.

Nienaber is set to name his starting XV later today.

By Web Admin