Springboks World Cup winner issues response after ‘disrespecting’ referee

Springboks hooker Bongi Mbonambi has revealed that he apologised to referee Aimee Barrett-Theron following their interaction during Saturday’s United Rugby Championship (URC) clash.

Mbonambi was criticised for his words, actions and overall demeanour when he wanted to find out why a Sharks try had been disallowed.

The Durban outfit were 19-10 in arrears at the time and would go on to lose 40-10 to the Lions – their 10th URC defeat in 11 games.

The interaction

The Springboks hooker was unhappy about a TMO call and, as a result, the situation could have escalated, but Barrett-Theron did brilliantly to calm the situation down, while also demanding respect from the 33-year-old.

She started by asking the Sharks skipper: “Bongi, can you walk with me please, this way?” before going on to say, “Bongi may I speak please? Listen, I fully respect you and who you are, and I am well aware that all of your players have probably played more games than I have refereed in the URC.

“But we are on the same field so if you could show me the same respect that I show you, that would be very much appreciated.”

That appeared to do the job as Mbonambi then seemingly changed tact and asked Barrett-Theron: “They are just looking to me for answers, so was it foul play?” with Barrett-Theron responding, “Yes, that was foul play.”

Mbonambi was criticised heavily afterwards with the Springboks hooker being described as ‘rude’, ‘petulant’ and ‘disrespectful’.

The 33-year-old has since released a statement via the Sharks which addresses his actions and the apology to Barrett-Theron.

“As players we have to take a hard look at ourselves after this result. We cannot blame anyone else and have a lot of hard work ahead of us,” it read.

“I am an all-in type of player and sometimes my emotions may get the better of me.

“I have full respect for officials and the role they play within our sport. It was never my intention to come across as rude or difficult. I apologised to the referee at half-time and meant absolutely no disrespect.”

Head coach’s message

Head coach John Plumtree also had a message for the supporters, who are becoming increasingly annoyed at the team’s poor displays.

“It was a frustrating performance from us and we were just not good enough,” he said.

“As a club, we are better than this and set ourselves high standards, which we are not achieving at this stage.

“We acknowledge the hurt and disappointment amongst our fans as we are hurting just as much as everyone else who loves this brand.

“Thank you to our fans and sponsors for sticking with us during these difficult times. Rest assured there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes to ensure future success.”

READ MORE: ‘No-nonsense’ referee praised for response to Bongi Mbonambi’s ‘disrespect’ following disallowed try