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Watch - Video purporting to reveal Bongi Mbonambi and Tom Curry incident emerges
By Ian Cameron
A video that appears to reveal the audio from the Bongi Mbonambi and Tom Curry incident during the Rugby World Cup semi-final between South Africa and England has emerged online.
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World Rugby is investigating an allegation made by Curry that he was racially abused by South Africa hooker Bongi Mbonambi in the first half of Saturday’s semi-final defeat.
Curry claimed to referee Ben O’Keeffe that he was called a “white c***” by Mbonambi and, after a complaint made by the Rugby Football Union, audio and video footage is being examined for evidence.
Now video of the incident is doing the rounds on X and a player can be heard shouting a phrase not dissimilar to what is being alleged.
Many Afrikaans Springboks supporters believe Mbonambi said ‘Wit kant’ or ‘wyd kant’ which loosely translates as ‘white side’ or ‘open side’ respectively, although other accounts suggest Mbonambi – who went to English-speaking private school St. Alban’s College – is not a speaker of the language.
Cape Saakie posted the video on X, which is being pored over by rugby fans eager to work out what exactly was said:
So this is seemingly where the incident takes place. Listen from around 8s onwards.
My advice would be to put earphones in and decide for yourself what you hear? pic.twitter.com/8Qo571qd4s
— Benetton Bandwagon (@CapeSaakie) October 23, 2023
Whether the audio on the clip is viewed as compelling evidence in either direction is very much anyone’s guess.
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World Rugby was on Tuesday evening unable to provide any update on its investigation into the allegation made against Mbonambi but intends on completing the process as quickly as possibly.
“I haven’t discussed that [with him]. But to be straightforward and honest with you, he is a calm guy,” said assistant coach Daan Human was asked about the scandal today. “He is well spoken and I don’t want to actually go into it because we have a World Cup final in six days’ time. Like I said I am more concentrated on the forwards.
“I can tell you one thing, we have three hookers [including Deon Fourie and Marco van Staden] in the group. Three guys who are capable of playing hooker so we are very comfortable having three hookers. If you want to go into a final, you must have two hookers.”
additional reporting PA
Clearly the supposed insult was not spoken in a whisper. Yet not one English player - and there were at least five within earshot - backed Curry up or gave evidence on his behalf at the enquiry. Don’t you English supporters think that’s a bit strange? Or if it did take place did his team mates not back him because he is universally unpopular and they agreed with the insult.
Whinging, whining, grumbling, complaining. A sense of entitlement that knows no bounds. No wonder everybody dislikes England. I don’t know when next England is due to play in South Africa, but if Curry is there, I wish him luck.
Any journalist worth his salt would soon discover that St Albans is in a VERY Afrikaans speaking city, Pretoria.
As an old boy of that school - I can attest that playing against local schools, you learnt the value of speaking Afrikaans …
C’mon Ian Cameron - grow a pair and retract this shite.
The reaction from Ben O'Keefe is curious, how would he feel if a similar comment was made about him? Would he expect an official to respond in the same way that he did?
‘The subsequent World Rugby investigation were informed by Tom Curry that he had also been the victim of the same abuse, from the same player, in the autumn Test 2022. So Bongi has got away with it again.
Even if Bongi said white cunt (doubt it or think he meant the SA way) it wouldn’t make it racism or a racist act. It’s still an insult because cunt was used but just because a race descriptor is used isn’t by itself racist. Unless there’s context to suggest that the phrase was used to denigrate all people of a particular race, you can’t assume that. I just think it’s dumb to say that just because someone says that white guy or this black guy, it’s suddenly become racist. It would be racist if someone used a racial slur but just pointing out the race of an individual, doesn’t make it racist.
I have travelled every part of South Africa, North South, East, West, and whenever I encountered a black person I would always start in Afrikaans. I have never encountered any black who could not speak Afrikaans.
RP won’t report this because it doesn’t suit WR and Ben Smith’s agenda, but South Africa’s largest and most credible news organisation has just revealed some stunning facts about this case. It’s deeply deeply disturbing. Turns out, Curry’s complaint concerns something said by Bongi in the December 2022 game. Yes, you read that correctly. This means Curry’s attack on Bongi was premeditated and he knew EXACTLY what he was doing. This is so vile and disappointing, one can only be lost for words…. The fact that WR continues to “investigate” this farce, and have PR (its propaganda arm) cover for it in this regard, is shameful in a week leading up to the RWC.
It’s an ai-style article, with vague references to groups of people that say X or Y, and zero research or even critical thinking by the writer.
If there was a clear and obvious racial slur then deal with it. Otherwise assume innocence and move on.
This can’t be the thing most sensible people care about in a RWC final week?
So Bongi went to a private English-speaking school yet can't speak English. He's, allegedly, an international hooker yet he can't remotely throw straight. Presumably if he fell into a barrel of tits he'd come out sucking his thumb..