Bongi Mbonambi has joined the Springboks in Buenos Aires on Monday after completing the initial stages of his recovery from the knee injury that has sidelined him since the second round of the Rugby Championship.

Mbonambi returned to the Sharks following the injury and will be assessed by the Springbok medical team this week as the squad prepare for their penultimate match of the competition against Argentina on Saturday. He joins Malcolm Marx, Joseph Dweba and Deon Fourie as the hookers in the squad.

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Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber said Mbonambi’s recovery would be assessed this week with an eye on possibly getting him ready for selection contention for the team’s closing Rugby Championship Test against Los Pumas in Durban on Saturday, 24 September.

“It’s great to have Bongi back in the set-up and this week will be a fantastic opportunity to reintegrate him into our systems and for our medical team to assess his recovery,” said Nienaber.

“He 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.

“Bongi 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.”

Nienaber is set to announce the team to face Argentina on Tuesday.

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