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Tom Curry breaks silence on racism claim against Bongi Mbonambi
By PA
England flanker Tom Curry stands by his accusation that South Africa’s Bongi Mbonambi racially abused him in the World Cup semi-final.
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World Rugby found “insufficient evidence” to back up Curry’s claim that he was called a “white c***” by the Springboks player midway through the first half of the match in Paris.
Hooker Mbonambi has accused England of being “unprofessional” over the allegations, insisting “misunderstanding” arose because Curry failed to realise he was speaking Afrikaans, a common practice among the Springboks to ensure opponents do not understand their messages.
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But Curry, whose girlfriend and family have since suffered online abuse, insisted “I heard what I heard.”
He said in an interview with the Daily Mail: “I didn’t really want to speak about it from the start.
“For me, on both occasions, the ball was out of play. Me and Bongi were talking and there’s no misunderstanding from my part. I went to the referee straight away. I heard what I heard. That’s all I really want to say about it and I won’t really be talking about it again.
“It was tough for my family, my girlfriend and my brother. It was a tough experience but it is what it is. The investigation’s been done and that’s all I want to say about it.”
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He knows what he’s heard, except he doesn’t speak Afrikaans. I always rated and liked Curry, but this seems petty and obstinate. I still want to believe, that he’s a decent guy and that he truly believes that he’s heard it. Although it’s a bit childish of him not to accept the most likely explanation, and instead he keeps thinking, that Bongi, who’s surrounded by white team mates, is a racist.
He doesn’t deserve any online abuse, though, that’s for sure. That part is ugly and shame on anyone taking part in it.
Nigel your Mother had to tie a steak on your back as a child so you can get attention from the dog.
If the boot had been on the other foot the rugby and wider world would be in uproar.
So not only did mbonambi racially abuse Curry (twice) there were threats from the faceless saffa cowards. Hardly unexpected. Par for the course.
Curry has to stand by his version…..doing otherwise opens him up to a law suit, or worse, is an admission of cynical play to gain an advantage in the most unsportsmanlike manner….sure his opponents will give him some deserved extra in the rucks and mauls in future….
Tom Curry het Afrikaans gehoor - as Bongi wou hom vloek sou Bongi die Afrikaanse woord vir c*** gebruik. Not everyone speaks English.
I think it's best to move on from it all, as Tom Curry himself said. I personally haven't lost respect for either player as I don't truly know what went down.
Serious question; If there was an incident last year, why did the RFU not take this serious accusation up with world rugby immediately? Why was the review not done then? Why did the coaching staff tell Curry to bring it up in the middle of a game in case it happened again? Something does not click here for me, and perhaps Im biased, but there is too much inconsistency here for to take it seriously.
Taking a leaf out of Donny Trump's book…. I have lost all respect for him after this article.