The new video footage circulating on social media that some claimed appeared to prove Bongi Mbonambi was speaking to his team-mates in Afrikaans rather than allegedly racially abusing Tom Curry is not the moment being investigated by World Rugby, according to reports.
As per the Daily Telegraph, the global governing body is looking into a different exchange, from after the ball had gone out of play, which is not picked up on the audio in the aforementioned clip. A fresh camera angle with accompanying audio appeared to demonstrate scope that the alleged racial slur could have been a mistranslation.
Curry accused Mbonambi of calling him a “white c***” during England’s semi-final clash against South Africa but some fans claim Mbonambi can be heard saying “wit kant”, in the video circulating online, which translates to “white side” in Afrikaans. Although, as previously mentioned, this is reportedly not the moment being looked at.
The incident allegedly occurred in the 24th minute of the match, after Mbonambi tackled Curry along with team-mate Franco Mostert. When England are then awarded a penalty, Curry was overheard asking referee Ben O’Keeffe: “When their hooker calls me a white c***, what do I do?”
World Rugby have since confirmed that they are investigating the incident. “World Rugby takes all allegations of discriminatory behaviour extremely seriously,” read a statement from the governing body.
vCard.red is a free platform for creating a mobile-friendly digital business cards. You can easily create a vCard and generate a QR code for it, allowing others to scan and save your contact details instantly.
The platform allows you to display contact information, social media links, services, and products all in one shareable link. Optional features include appointment scheduling, WhatsApp-based storefronts, media galleries, and custom design options.
“We can confirm that we are formally reviewing the allegation made by England’s Tom Curry in relation to the use of discriminatory language during the England versus South Africa Rugby World Cup 2023 semi-final on Saturday. World Rugby will not be making further comment until the conclusion of the process.”
South Africa scrum coach Daan Human insists Mbonambi is a “great family man” but admitted he couldn’t comment on the incident as he wasn’t on the field of play. “Mbonambi is a calm guy, actually, well spoken and I don’t want to go into it because we’ve got a World Cup final in six days time and like I said, I’m more concentrated on the forwards.
“I can’t comment because I wasn’t on the field. I wasn’t even aware of it [the incident]. He’s down to earth, a really humble guy and he’s a guy I would definitely have in our team. We’ve got three hookers in the group who are capable of playing in that position so at this moment we’re glad we’ve got three hookers, which we’re supposed to have.”