England team train ahead of Rugby World Cup Bronze Final match against Argentina
World Rugby have announced that there is ‘insufficient evidence’ to suggest that South Africa’s Bongi Mbonambi racially abused England’s Tom Curry last weekend in the World Cup semi-finals. Curry accused the Springboks hooker of calling him a ‘white c***’ during his side’s defeat and was heard asking referee Ben O’Keeffe how he could report the matter midway through the first half of the match.
After the match, Curry refused to speak out on the matter after being asked whether Mbonambi had said something that he shouldn’t have, with World Rugby promptly announcing that they would look into the matter once an official complaint was filed.
The organisation have now revealed that they have reviewed the allegations made by Curry and have ruled that they did not find sufficient evidence ‘at this time’ to charge Mbonambi with discrimination.
Their statement read: “World Rugby has undertaken a review of allegations made by England’s Tom Curry in relation to the use of discriminatory language by South Africa’s Mbongeni Mbonambi during the England versus South Africa Rugby World Cup 2023 semi-final on Saturday along with a further allegation brought forward in recent days about a previous match in the Autumn Nations Series 2022.
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“Any allegation of discrimination is taken extremely seriously by World Rugby, warranting a thorough investigation. Having considered all the available evidence, including match footage, audio and evidence from both teams, the governing body has determined that there is insufficient evidence at this time to proceed with charges. Therefore, the matter is deemed closed unless additional evidence comes to light.
“It is important to note that World Rugby accepts that Tom Curry made the allegations in good faith, and that there is no suggestion that the allegation was deliberately false or malicious.
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“World Rugby is also concerned by the social media abuse that both players have been subjected to this week. There is no place in rugby or society for discrimination, abuse or hate speech, and World Rugby urges fans to embrace the sport’s values of respect, integrity and solidarity.”
The investigation being concluded will give both players time to process World Rugby’s ruling before turning their attention to their respective matches over the weekend. Curry will be hoping that he can guide England to a third-place finish in the tournament when Steve Borthwick’s side takes on Argentina in the bronze medal play-off, whereas Mbonambi will be bidding for glory against New Zealand in the final.
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