The fact that Deon Fourie had to play 78 minutes at hooker in the 2023 Rugby World Cup final just showcased once again the importance of that front-row position.
The Springboks have been well-stocked for years with Bongi Mbonambi and Malcolm Marx, and few would’ve banked on Fourie to fill the gap in the biggest match in the sport.
Marx’s injury during the 2023 tournament saw him sidelined, and then Mbonambi went off with a knee injury after THAT Shannon Frizell breakdown infringement.
But an unbelievable effort from Fourie – who began his career at No 2 and then became a superb openside flank – helped the Boks complete the double by beating the All Blacks 12-11 in Paris.
Don’t forget, though, that the Boks also lost Mbonambi in the first half of the 2019 final against England in Japan, and then it was Marx who played his part in the triumph.
Hooker, though, is one of the more difficult positions in rugby that almost always has to have a specialist. Bok coach Rassie Erasmus’ gamble with Fourie in 2023 paid off, but it could’ve gone totally the other way as well – especially with the throwing into the lineouts.
That is why Erasmus has a lot to ponder on when it comes to the hooker position leading up to the 2027 World Cup in Australia, starting with next week’s alignment camp in Cape Town.
Mbonambi turned 34 in January, so will be 36 in 2027. His physical approach suits the Boks as a starter, and the more agile Marx then comes on with the ‘Bomb Squad’ to finish things off.
But if Mbonambi doesn’t make it to Australia, for a number of reasons, there needs to be a similar type of player to fulfil his role – and that man might just be Joseph Dweba.
The much-maligned Stormers hooker has been rightly criticised in the past for his sometimes iffy lineout-throwing, but has been much more accurate in recent seasons.
Dweba is renowned for his powerful carries at close range and big hits in defence – although his fiery temper gets the better of him now and then.
But his performance in the epic 19-16 victory over the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld last weekend was one to savour.
Dweba was all hustle and bustle as he made some serious inroads to the Bulls defence, charging forward with ball-in-hand and taking tacklers out of the way.
He dished it out as well in helping the Stormers hold their lines, and his lineout and scrumming was on point too.
Dweba is the same height as Mbonambi at 1.75m, and weighs a few kilos more (112kg to 108kg), so fits the mould of a starting Bok hooker to a tee.
HTS Louis Botha Alum Joseph “Dancing” Dweba bringing the va-va-vroom for the @dhlstormers 🕺#BKTURC | #BULvSTO #OriginRound #GrassrootsToGreatness pic.twitter.com/ZWpTy9mB4D
— BKT United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial) March 1, 2025
And at 29 – he turns 30 in October – Dweba also has the right age profile as an experienced campaigner for the Stormers, while his move to English club Exeter Chiefs at the end of the season will only hone his set-piece work even further.
Erasmus said that the 38-year-old Fourie could still do a job this year if needed, and then of course there is Marx (31 in July), and Bulls trio Johan Grobbelaar (27), Akker van der Merwe (34 in June) and Jan-Hendrik Wessels (24 in May).
Wessels is an intriguing option as a hooker due to his size and ball-carrying ability, but appears to be better suited to loosehead prop going forward.
“Bongi isn’t a young man, but if fit and injury-free, he’s one of the steadiest players you can get. Malcolm is still relatively young for a hooker,” Erasmus said during a 2025 Test season media briefing in Cape Town this week.
“Joseph, André-Hugo, Ethan Bester, Marnus (van der Merwe), Jan-Hendrik Wessels are fantastic talents. And it’s lekker to have a guy like Deon in your back pocket. Someone needs to grab that (hooker) position.
“Is it going to be Bongi? Is Bongi going to be fit and strong enough? And this isn’t something I haven’t discussed with Bongi.
“Jan-Hendrik Wessels must swim, André-Hugo must swim, Dweba must swim. They must get chances now and play, and it hasn’t happened yet.
“A guy like Deon Fourie… Johnny Sexton played until he was 38, and Deon is one of the guys who’s probably in the best shape,” he added.
“I don’t believe Deon thinks he’ll play eight Tests this year, but he knows that we can call on him if things don’t work out for us, and no one shoots the lights out or plays fantastic at hooker.”