Crazy New England v South Africa video comes amid claims Tom Curry incident was a ‘misunderstanding’

Audio and videos have emerged showing what happened before Bongi Mbonambi allegedly racially abused Tom Curry. This led some South Africans to say that Curry may have misunderstood what Mbonambi was saying.

The England winger told referee Ben O’Keeffe that a Springbok prostitute called him a “fucking white guy” during Saturday’s World Cup semi-final.

World Rugby confirmed on Monday it had launched an investigation into Curry’s claim that Mbonambi used a racial slur against him. It was also reported that the RFS had lodged an official complaint with the rugby authorities. South Africa has launched its own internal investigation into the matter, saying it takes the allegations “very seriously” and is “reviewing the available evidence”.

In a video that surfaced last weekend, Curry can be heard approaching the referee and asking, “Sir…if your whore calls me a ‘white bitch,’ what am I going to do?” You can get more rugby news with our newsletter here.

But earlier, in the same video, many – both in South Africa and elsewhere – claimed to have heard what Mbonambi said. Many have speculated that he is actually saying “wit kant,” which means “white side” in Afrikaans, or “wyd kant,” which means “wide side.” The challenge is believed to be used as part of South Africa’s defense system.

It is not certain that the voice heard in the clip is Mbonambi’s and it is not entirely clear what it is, but people have offered different interpretations of what they heard. Planet Rugby writer Jared Wright said in X: “’Wyd kant’ or ‘wit kant’, I think it’s one of those two.”

“This could be a defensive signal and Bongi Mbonambi has shouted it more than once. “This is the best audio of the incident I have seen/heard.”

Another X user, @rugby_ap, suggested: “I think it’s a challenge to the Springboks’ system when the opposition changes the game. He identifies early and warns his defenders. You can hear him scream several times.

“Even if you take away linguistics. The repetition and tone make it clear, at least to me, that this is a call to action to his teammates, not an insult to Curry.”

Again, the exact nature of the incident that prompted Curry to file the complaint is unclear at this time, although this video shows the frantic play just before a distraught Curry approached the referee.