Die wit kant? New footage may shed light on Mbonambi ‘slur’
New footage has emerged that might shed light on the alleged racial slur Springbok hooker Bongi Mbonambi is accused of directing at England’s Tom Curry.
The alleged incident took place during the Springboks' victory in the Rugby World Cup semi-final in Paris on Saturday.
World Rugby said Monday it had launched an official investigation into the allegation that Mbonambi called England backrow forward Curry "you white (followed by an expletive)" in the first half of Saturday's 16-15 victory.
"World Rugby takes all allegations of discriminatory behaviour extremely seriously," the sport's governing body said in a statement on Monday, five days before South Africa face New Zealand in the World Cup final.
"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."
WATCH:
8 seconds in is the audio. Bongi is shouting ‘wit kant’. White side. I think this is the Springboks system call for when the opposition are switching the play. He identifies this early and alerts his defenders.
— A-P (@rugby_ap) October 23, 2023
You can hear him shout it repeatedly. pic.twitter.com/MvG3qYnpYr
Curry approached referee Ben O'Keeffe about half an hour into the hard-fought match in Paris to report the alleged comment and asked what he should do in response.
"Nothing, please. I'll be on it," replied O'Keeffe.
Curry was asked after the game whether Mbonambi, who also appeared to refuse to shake the England player's hand at the end of the match, had said something he had taken issue with.
"Yeah," replied the 25-year-old, before adding that "it does not need to be talked about".
South Africa Rugby said on Sunday they would look into the matter.
"We are aware of the allegation, which we take very seriously, and are reviewing the available evidence," it said.
"We will engage with Bongi if anything is found to substantiate the claim."
