England star Tom Curry accuses South Africa’s Bongi Mbonambi of racial slur in Rugby World Cup semi-final
ENGLAND star Tom Curry accused South Africa hooker Bongi Mbonambi of racially abusing him during the World Cup semi-final defeat.
The Red Rose heartbreak was overshadowed as the allegations – made to referee Ben O’Keeffe – have now emerged.
Curry and the Springbok clashed just before half-time in the Stade de France.
And the England flanker’s furious complaint was clearly picked up by World Rugby’s “ref link” microphone.
Curry went up to O’Keeffe and said: “Sir, Sir, if their hooker calls me a white c*** what can I do?”
O’Keeffe responded: “Nothing please. I will be on it.”
The England man was furious, demanding action against the South African powerhouse, who played the whole 80 minutes as the defending champions stole victory at the death.
Curry was still seething after the match, although he opted not to make a public denunciation of the South Africa star.
Mbonambi refused to shake Curry’s hand at the final whistle in a blatant snub.
Asked if the South African had “said something he shouldn’t have”, a terse Curry replied: “Yeah.”
Probed on whether he would say what he had heard, Curry added: “No.”
“It wasn’t cleared up. It does not need to be talked about.
“Listen, I’m not talking about it now.”
Curry’s demeanour, though, gave the game away in a sour ending to a titanic.
Skipper Owen Farrell had earlier dismissed his post-whistle spat with Willie Le Roux as “nothing – it was just a misunderstanding”.
It is unclear if the RFU will be making a formal complaint or if World Rugby chiefs will be holding an investigation.
SunSport has asked World Rugby for a response.
