World Rugby clears Bongi Mbonambi of ‘racial slur’

The alleged incident took place during the Springboks' victory in the Rugby World Cup semi-final in Paris on Saturday.

World Rugby said it has undertaken a  review of allegations made by England’s Tom Curry.

"Any allegation of discrimination is taken extremely seriously by World Rugby, warranting a thorough investigation. Having considered all the available evidence, including match footage, audio and evidence from both teams, the governing body has determined that there is insufficient evidence at this time to proceed with charges. Therefore, the matter is deemed closed unless additional evidence comes to light.

“It is important to note that World Rugby accepts that Tom Curry made the allegations in good faith, and that there is no suggestion that the allegation was deliberately false or malicious," it said in a statement.

World Rugby said it is also concerned by the social media abuse that both players have been subjected to this week.

"There is no place in rugby or society for discrimination, abuse or hate speech, and World Rugby urges fans to embrace the sport’s values of respect, integrity and solidarity.”

 Mbonambi has been named in the starting lineup for the Rugby World Cup final match against New Zealand on Saturday.

Springboks captain Siya Kolisi said on Thursday he had spoken to Tom Curry following the incident.

"I have been through it too, we can take it as players when it is coming to us directly, but when it comes to the family it is totally different.

“It is one part of the game that we don't enjoy as players, we don't mind being criticised about how we play on the field.

“As a rugby family, we do support each other when it comes to things like this, I feel for him and his family and I hope he was able to prepare as much as he could for the Saturday game," he said.

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