South Africa investigates alleged racial slur claim in Rugby World Cup Semifinal

South Africa's rugby authorities are looking into a claim made by England flanker Tom Curry regarding an alleged discriminatory remark during their Rugby World Cup semifinal match. The incident unfolded during the clash at the Stade de France, which South Africa narrowly won 16-15 on Saturday.

In the first half of the match, Tom Curry brought the alleged incident to the attention of referee Ben O’Keeffe. Although the alleged discriminatory remark was not audible on the referee's microphone, a subsequent conversation between Curry and O’Keeffe took place.

During the conversation, Curry asked O'Keeffe what he should do after claiming to have been the target of a racial slur. O’Keeffe's response was, "Nothing, please. I’ll be on it.”


England has until Monday morning to officially lodge a complaint with the citing officer. The Springboks responded to the allegation by stating that they are taking it very seriously and are in the process of reviewing the available evidence. SA Rugby also mentioned their intent to engage with Mbongeni Mbonambi, the accused player, if there is any substantiation of the claim.

When questioned about the incident after the match, Curry confirmed that something had been said by Mbonambi but declined to disclose the specific content of the remark. Notably, Mbonambi took over as captain when Siya Kolisi was replaced early in the second half. At the conclusion of the game, Mbonambi and Curry did not shake hands. The match was decided in South Africa's favor thanks to Handre Pollard’s penalty in the 78th minute.

There is a 36-hour window for England to lodge a complaint with the citing officer following the conclusion of the game. World Rugby also retains the option to pursue the matter further. However, England's coach, Steve Borthwick, refrained from commenting on Curry’s allegation when asked about it on Sunday.