South African hooker Bongi Mbonambi, whom Englishman Tom Curry accused of having made a racial insult against him in the World Cup semi-final, will not be prosecuted for lack of sufficient evidence, has announced World Rugby, Thursday October 26.
Bongi Mbonambi, centerpiece of his team, can therefore play in the World Cup final against New Zealand, Saturday at 9 p.m., at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis). He will occupy the position of starting hooker.
“After reviewing all available evidence, including match footage, audio recordings and testimonies from both teams, the governing body has determined that there is insufficient evidence at this time to charge prosecutions,” explains the international federation in a press release.
“Therefore, the matter is considered closed unless further evidence is uncovered,” adds world rugby’s governing body, acknowledging that “Tom Curry made the allegations in good faith and there is no has no suggestion that these allegations are deliberately false or malicious.”
The English federation “very disappointed”
The English third row assured the press, after the defeat of the XV de la Rose against the Springboks (16-15) in the semi-final of the World Cup, on October 21, that Mbonambi had called him a “white bastard”. (“white cunt”). After about half an hour of play, Curry reported the facts to New Zealand referee Ben O’Keeffe, asking him what he should say. “Nothing, please,” the referee told him.
In a statement on Thursday, the English Federation (RFU) said it was “very disappointed with the decision taken by World Rugby” not to refer the matter to an independent disciplinary commission. She also claims that Mbonambi had already uttered a racial insult against Curry during a match in the fall of 2022.
On the sidelines of this affair, the two players were the targets of insults on social networks. World Rugby said it was “concerned” by these excesses. “The RFU, alongside the England team, condemns the hateful comments directed at Tom [Curry] and his family on social media, after he had the courage to publicly speak out against unacceptable behavior on a rugby field like in everyday life,” the English federation also declared.
