In a dramatic moment during the Rugby World Cup semi-final, England’s dynamic flanker, Tom Curry, made a serious allegation to the match official, Ben O’Keeffe, regarding South Africa’s hooker, Bongi Mbonambi.
This incident occurred just before the half-hour mark when England was leading 9-3.
Curry directly approached the New Zealand referee, and his words were picked up by the referee’s microphone for all to hear. He asked, “Sir, sir, if their hooker calls me a white c**t, what do I do?”
O’Keeffe’s response was, “Nothing, please.” He followed with the assurance, “I will be on it,” although it remains unclear whether this assurance was specifically related to Curry’s complaint. Despite this exchange, O’Keeffe did not take any immediate action against Mbonambi, and there was no clear audio evidence of the alleged abusive language.
Post-match, tension remained as Mbonambi declined to shake Curry’s hand. When pressed on whether Mbonambi had indeed used inappropriate language, Curry simply replied, “Yeah,” without delving into further details, asserting, “It does not need to be discussed.”
5 England players who should be dropped, and who should replace them
England fell agonisingly short of a supreme upset and a fifth Rugby World Cup final as South Africa came on strong to snatch victory in Paris.
Now, England and Argentina are set to face off in the “bronze medal” match on October 27th at 8 pm UK time, hosted at the Stade de France in Paris.
As Steve Borthwick shifts his focus toward the future, it is anticipated that the head coach will implement several adjustments in preparation for the third-place play-off.
#1. Henry Arundell replaces Jonny May
England’s offensive struggles have been glaringly evident in virtually every match, except for the standout performance by the lightning-fast Arundell, who carved his name in the annals of history with a jaw-dropping five-try spectacle against Chile.
The ex-London Irish prodigy, despite his recent one-year commitment to Racing 92 due to the Exiles’ unfortunate demise in May, is set to be granted a unique opportunity to extend his England tenure.
At the tender age of 20, it feels like eons have passed since he wowed the world with an electrifying end-to-end try against Toulon, a moment that instantly went viral and left even the hard-to-please Eddie Jones brimming with admiration. Arundell could very well be the ignition spark that England has been desperately yearning for.
As for May, he has been a remarkable servant to the England team. Nonetheless, this World Cup undoubtedly marks the conclusion of a spectacular international career, one where he will bid adieu as his nation’s second-highest all-time try-scorer.
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