Springbok hooker Bongi Mbonambi is in the spotlight, this time not for being a man-of-the-match but for allegedly uttering a racial slur against England’s flanker Tom Curry during the Rugby World Cup (RWC) semifinal game on Saturday.
The Boks beat England 16-15 in the RWC semifinal at Stade de France in Paris on Saturday night.
However, the win has been followed by controversy.
In audio clips on social media from the referee Ben O'Keeffe's microphone Curry can be heard alleging Mbonambi called him a “white c**t”. He reported the complaint in the 28th minute.
The flanker said to O'Keeffe: “Sir, Sir, if their hooker calls me a white c**t, what do I do?”
O’Keeffe responded by saying: “Nothing please. I’ll be on it.”
There is no audio in the public domain of Mbonambi's alleged slur.
World Rugby said on Monday it would officially investigate the incident.
There have been mixed reactions to the allegations in the absence of evidence. Many South Africans defended Mbonambi, suggesting Curry could have misunderstood the hooker considering language differences.
The case remains under investigation by South Africa Rugby.
“We are aware of the allegation, which we take very seriously, and are reviewing the available evidence. We will engage with Bongi if anything is found to substantiate the claims,” SA Rugby said.
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Image: Dan Mullan
Springbok hooker Bongi Mbonambi is in the spotlight, this time not for being a man-of-the-match but for allegedly uttering a racial slur against England’s flanker Tom Curry during the Rugby World Cup (RWC) semifinal game on Saturday.
The Boks beat England 16-15 in the RWC semifinal at Stade de France in Paris on Saturday night.
However, the win has been followed by controversy.
In audio clips on social media from the referee Ben O'Keeffe's microphone Curry can be heard alleging Mbonambi called him a “white c**t”. He reported the complaint in the 28th minute.
The flanker said to O'Keeffe: “Sir, Sir, if their hooker calls me a white c**t, what do I do?”
O’Keeffe responded by saying: “Nothing please. I’ll be on it.”
There is no audio in the public domain of Mbonambi's alleged slur.
World Rugby said on Monday it would officially investigate the incident.
There have been mixed reactions to the allegations in the absence of evidence. Many South Africans defended Mbonambi, suggesting Curry could have misunderstood the hooker considering language differences.
The case remains under investigation by South Africa Rugby.
“We are aware of the allegation, which we take very seriously, and are reviewing the available evidence. We will engage with Bongi if anything is found to substantiate the claims,” SA Rugby said.
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