Today’s rugby news: South Africa launches internal investigation, explains cruel decision

Here are the highlights from the Rugby World Cup night on Sunday 22nd October

South Africa launches investigation after ‘racist’ accusations

South Africa has launched an investigation into a racist insult allegedly directed at England winger Tom Curry by his prostitute Mbongeni Mbonambi. England have until Monday morning to lodge a complaint with the referee after Curry said he was the victim of a discriminatory comment during Saturday’s 16-15 World Cup semi-final defeat to the Springboks.

Curry drew referee Ben O’Keeffe’s attention to the incident that occurred in the second quarter of the game at the Stade de France. On the referee’s microphone he was heard saying: “Sir, if your bitch calls me white, what am I supposed to do?”

O’Keefe responded, “No problem. “I’ll take care of it.”

The alleged profanity is not heard on the reference microphone, but Curry’s subsequent conversation with O’Keeffe is. There is speculation in South Africa that he used the term “kant”, which means side.

South Africa responded on Sunday confirming it was investigating the incident. The statement said: “We are aware of this allegation, which we take very seriously, and are reviewing the available evidence. “We will work with Bongi if anything is found to support this claim.”

When asked after the game whether Mbonambi had said something he shouldn’t have said, Curry said yes, although he declined to explain the meaning of the comment.

Mbonambi, who took over as captain after replacing Siya Kolisi, refused to shake Curry’s hand at the end of the dramatic encounter in Paris, which he won with a 78th-minute penalty from Handre Pollard.

England manager Steve Borthwick declined to comment on Curry’s allegations on Sunday morning. “The circumstances surrounding this are such that I will not comment on this incident,” Borthwick said.

World Rugby confirmed that England have 36 hours from the end of the match to lodge a complaint with the referee of reference, giving them until 10am BST on Monday.

The sport’s world governing body could also investigate the matter, and any case would likely be brought under the banner of “disgrace of the game”.

Furthermore, if the responsible official finds any evidence of an alleged racist comment, Mbonambi could face disciplinary proceedings, which would likely violate Law 9.12: A player must not verbally abuse anyone.

Brutal gazelle ax

Mani Libbok may have been sent off in the 31st minute of the World Cup semi-final, but he insists he has no problems in the Springbok team and praised the substitute for turning the game around. Coach Jacques Nienber said the team was “open and honest” and understood why the 27-year-old was withdrawn so early in what appeared to be a brutal move.

Libbock was replaced by Handre Pollard, who was named Mastercard Man of the Match after scoring the winning penalty to book his place in the final against New Zealand next Saturday (October 28).

The defending champions were never ahead until Pollard conceded a long-range penalty with two minutes remaining.

Speaking about Libbock’s elimination, Nienaber said the team “fought to gain a foothold” in the game and move forward from the start.

Adding: “The beauty of this group is that we are open and honest and because we have the right players, the players accept that. Sometimes things don’t go the way you want. We did this with Bongi (Mbonambi) in 2018. That particular day he just wasn’t on fire, but he started again the following week.

“The main thing is that everything is for the team and they understand that. Players take it on the chin. That doesn’t mean he (Libbock) won’t start next week. Tonight we didn’t miss a shot on goal and we took advantage of every opportunity with him and Handré. So it is. This is for South Africa, not personality or ego.

“We receive messages and we see every message that is sent to us. This is for them. The Springboks are more important than anything else.”

Lubbock praised his team-mates, who overcame a nine-point deficit to win the game thanks to Handre Pollard’s boot, and are already looking forward to next week’s final.

He said the conditions were “difficult” and the ball was slippery, but added: “It’s always a team effort. I’m excited about what the guys did tonight. It was something special. I’m proud of the guys for hanging in there. I’m very happy that the boys are coming off the bench and increasing the pace of the game.

“Let’s look back at that game and what we did wrong and what they did right to get us out of there. We’ll see where we can improve next week.”

England’s defeat was watched by ITV’s biggest audience in 2023

ITV claims to have recorded the highest viewing figures in 2023, with more than 8.7 million people watching England’s semi-final defeat to South Africa.

South Africa will have the chance to defend their Rugby World Cup title in next Saturday’s final against New Zealand after defeating England 16-15 in a thrilling second semi-final at the Stade de France.

The defending champions did not win until Handre Pollard scored a long-range penalty with two minutes remaining.

Figures show that 7.2 million viewers tuned in to ITV1 to watch the game from kick-off to the final whistle, making the match the biggest of the tournament.

Despite a record number of viewers tuning in to watch the end of the match, ITV also announced that the full broadcast of the game was also watched by 5.2 million, the broadcaster’s biggest overnight audience of the year since Britain’s Got Talent.

“Losing in the semi-finals hurts a lot”: Borthwick

England coach Steve Borthwick admitted the semi-final defeat to South Africa was “very painful” but will approach the bronze medal match on Friday night as he will in every game in the tournament.

At a press conference on Sunday, he said: “I thought it was a great test match. I think both teams gave everything they could in this game. We came to the game believing we were going to win.

“Unfortunately we are a little late. This experience, however painful it was, and this It is It hurts a lot, we will do better in the future.”

He also gave credit to South Africa for finding a way to get the result while staying on the scoreboard, saying they were the number one team in the world “for a reason”.

Before Friday night’s third-place game against Argentina, he said: “I will choose the team that will get the result I want on Friday night. That is the approach I have taken in every game of this tournament and will continue to do so.

“Friday night is another important game for us. I want players to play important games in the World Cup, I want them to have that experience. This will benefit each of these players and this team in the future.

“We need to think about this a little bit the next day to reflect and regroup. Then we will meet to train. Our goal is to finish the tournament the way we want and there will be more reflection after the tournament. I see. There are many players here who will continue to wear the England shirt for many years to come. “Those conversations will happen after the tournament because now we have a game on Friday night that we want to win.”

He added that Marcus Smith should be available to play after being ruled out of the semi-final with a head injury.