England’s heroic exit from the World Cup has been soured by a potential racism storm after flanker Tom Curry complained to referee Ben O’Keeffe at the Stade de France in the first half.
In the 28th minute of the national team’s painful 16-15 defeat to South Africa on Saturday evening, the Sale openside approached the New Zealand official and was heard saying over the referee microphone: ‘Sir, sir, if their whore calls me a white man calls c**t, what should I do?’
O’Keeffe replied: “Nothing, please.”
The Springboks hooker was Bongi Mbonambi, who started the match and played the full 80 minutes, meaning no one else occupied that position for the world champions throughout the match.
After the final whistle, there was a notable altercation between Curry and 32-year-old Mbonambi, who appeared to refuse to shake hands with the England forward and marched down the tunnel.
England winger Tom Curry (left) complained about the language used by South Africa’s Bongi Mbonambi (right) in the World Cup semi-final, claiming he was called a ‘white bastard’.
In the 28th minute, Curry (seen right) approached referee Ben O’Keefe and was heard saying over the referee’s microphone: “Sir, sir, if their whore calls me a white bastard, what am I supposed to do?”
As rumors of an ugly exchange spread, Curry was questioned about it in the post-game “mixed zone” where interviews are conducted.
Asked if Mbonambi had said something he shouldn’t have, Curry replied: “Yes.” He declined to elaborate further on what was said.
When asked if the matter was ultimately cleared up, Curry said, “No. There’s no need to talk about it.’
He was then asked if any alleged comments were just a reflection of a tough match and he said nothing but was visibly angry and shook his head.
South African forwards coach Deon Davids was asked about the issue on Sunday morning and replied: “I am not aware of that. I am not aware of any comments. If it was discussed, I’m not sure what the comment was or when it was said. Don’t know.’
In response to Curry’s allegation to the referee, the South African National Rugby Union, SA Rugby, released a statement saying: ‘We are aware of the allegation, which we take very seriously, and are assessing the available evidence. We will contact Bongi if anything is found to support the claim.”
At the World Cup there is a 36-hour period during which the match officer can refer an incident for disciplinary investigation.
England would have the option to request an investigation into an incident.
England were just minutes away from booking a place in next weekend’s final before Handre Pollard’s late penalty sealed a dramatic win for South Africa.
South Africa’s forward Deon Davids said he was not aware of any comments Mbonambi (right) may have made during South Africa’s 16-15 win over England to reach the final
But for England head coach Steve Borthwick there was only pride in his team after the final whistle.
For a team that was written off and mocked before the tournament started, Borthwick has transformed this team and now has a foundation to build on.
“In those 23 we have seven players aged 25 or younger,” he said.
‘That’s the most of any semi-finalist, so we have a great mix of experience and young players. We are disappointed, but extremely proud of these guys and we will continue to build in the future.
“We have a very smart group of players who are learning very quickly because we had to do it very quickly.”
He added: “The opposition has had four years and we have four months. I asked the players to approach training differently and they embraced that.
“We thought we were going to win tonight and we came here believing we were going to win. The players deserve a lot of credit for that.
‘I think the tens of thousands of England fans watching here tonight and the millions watching at home will be very proud of their team.’
Handre Pollard’s late penalty saw South Africa dramatically book a place in the final
Head coach Steve Borthwick still feels there is a positive outlook on his team’s transformation