England flanker Tom Curry insists Springbok hooker Bongi Mbonambi racially abused him during the World Cup semi-final in Paris.
Mbonambi was cleared of racially abusing Curry, as World Rugby found “insufficient evidence” to back up the Englishman’s claim that he was called a “white (followed by an expletive)” by the Bok No 2 in South Africa’s victory at the Stade de France in October.
The double World Cup-winning Mbonambi said the incident arose because Curry failed to realise he was speaking Afrikaans, but in an interview with the UK’s Daily Mail, Curry stands by his accusation.
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“I didn’t really want to speak about it from the start,” Curry said.
“For me, on both occasions, the ball was out of play. Me and Bongi were talking and there’s no misunderstanding from my part. I went to the referee straight away.
“I heard what I heard. That’s all I really want to say about it and I won’t really be talking about it again.
“It was tough for my family, my girlfriend and my brother. It was a tough experience but it is what it is. The investigation’s been done and that’s all I want to say about it.”
Photo: Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP
