England captain Owen Farrell: Online abuse of Tom Curry not acceptable

By Sports Desk October 25, 2023

Owen Farrell has condemned the online vilification of Tom Curry after the England flanker alleged he was racially abused in Saturday’s World Cup semi-final defeat by South Africa.

England are furious that Curry has been targeted online for claiming to referee Ben O’Keeffe that he had been called a “white c***” by Springboks hooker Bongi Mbonambi.

World Rugby is examining audio and video footage from the Stade de France clash as part of its investigation into the incident which is still ongoing, but in the meantime Curry has been the victim of a social media pile-on described by his club Sale as “disgusting”.

A visibly angry Farrell on Wednesday defended his team-mate, who wins his 50th cap in Friday’s bronze final against Argentina.

“Tom has been first class this week, like he always is. He’s one of the most honest, most hard working blokes I’ve ever played with,” England captain Farrell said.

“What isn’t understandable is the amount of abuse he’s got. The effect that has on him is the bit that I, and we, really don’t understand.

“And I know it seems to be going more and more like this, but it shouldn’t be, it shouldn’t be.

“You are dealing with people, with human beings. Just because you’re saying stuff on your phone or behind a computer screen doesn’t make it acceptable. I don’t think it’s acceptable.

“This doesn’t make me look fondly at engaging with people outside of the people that are close to you.”

Head coach Steve Borthwick has made it clear that Curry has been unjustly thrust into the eye of the storm in a doubling down of England’s claim that the Sale forward was racially abused by Mbonambi.

“This is not a Tom Curry incident. Somebody said something in a game that he has reported,” Borthwick said.

“Now this is a World Rugby and SA Rugby matter to deal with, not an England rugby nor a Tom Curry matter.”

Curry continues in the back row, although he shifts from openside to blindside flanker as one of 10 changes – eight in personnel – made to the side to face Argentina.

Borthwick insists he had no hesitation in standing Curry down for the rematch of the Pool D opener which England won despite having the 25-year-old sent off in the third minute for a dangerous tackle.

“The way Tom play means he has more involvements than any other player on the pitch. And they are physically powerful involvements,” Borthwick said.

“When he came off the pitch against South Africa he was cut and bloodied and that’s exactly how Tom Curry plays.

“I chatted to him early in the week about how he was physically with another six-day turnaround and he looked straight at me and point blank said: ‘I am desperate to play on Friday night’.

“This guy wants to play. There is no doubt in my mind he wants to be out there and the way he has prepared through the week has been incredible.

“But that’s Tom Curry. It’s the way he does it every single week so I couldn’t be more proud of him.”

With no indication of when World Rugby’s inquiry will conclude, Mbonambi will take part in Saturday’s World Cup final against New Zealand with a cloud hanging over him.

He has completed the last two matches – fierce battles against France and England – and given the lack of front line hooker cover, is set to play another 80 minutes against the All Blacks.

South Africa assistant coach Felix Jones said: “Bongi has come through both of those games fine. Any player who is getting ready to play in a World Cup final won’t moan about how many minutes they’ve had. They’ll be ready to go.”

Related items

  • West Indies fall to England again, go down 0-2 in T20I series West Indies fall to England again, go down 0-2 in T20I series

    The West Indies’ hopes of bouncing back against England were dashed on Sunday, as the visitors clinched a seven-wicket victory at Kensington Oval, putting them up 2-0 in the five-match T20I series. England’s chase of 159 was spearheaded by a scintillating 83 off 45 balls from captain Jos Buttler, who led his team to victory with more than five overs to spare.

    Batting at No. 3, Buttler quickly found his rhythm after England lost Phil Salt on the first ball of the innings. Teaming up with Will Jacks, Buttler unleashed an array of boundaries, hammering eight fours and six sixes in his 26th fifty-plus T20I score. The pair built a commanding 129-run partnership off 72 balls, which all but sealed the game for England. Both Buttler and Jacks fell in the same over to Romario Shepherd, but by then, England were firmly in control, with Liam Livingstone striking four boundaries and a six in his 11-ball cameo to finish the match.

    Earlier, West Indies struggled to build momentum after winning the toss and choosing to bat. Saqib Mahmood’s early strikes left the hosts reeling at 35-3 within the powerplay. Captain Rovman Powell fought back with a gritty 43 off 41 balls, finding occasional support from Nicholas Pooran, who added 15 in a sluggish 35-run partnership. However, West Indies’ batsmen struggled to handle England’s disciplined bowling, with Livingstone and Dan Mousley sharing four wickets between them.

    Powell finally found his range, clearing the midwicket boundary with a powerful six off Livingstone. But just as he looked set to accelerate, he was undone by Mousley’s accurate yorker, which bowled him for 43, halting the Scorpions' scoring push in the 17th over.

    Despite a late surge from the lower order, which included some quick runs from Gudakesh Motie, Shepherd, and debutant Terrance Hinds, West Indies managed only 158-8 from their 20 overs. Mahmood was England's standout bowler in the early overs, taking two crucial wickets, while Livingstone finished with 2-16, effectively stifling West Indies' momentum.

    In the chase, West Indies needed early breakthroughs, and Akeal Hosein delivered by dismissing Salt with his first ball. However, Buttler’s attacking approach quickly dashed any hopes of a West Indies comeback. Jacks and Buttler accumulated runs rapidly, with Jacks striking boundaries off Matthew Forde and Hosein. Buttler then took charge in the powerplay’s final over, smashing three consecutive boundaries off Shepherd and reaching a 32-ball fifty by launching Roston Chase into the crowd.

    With this win, England holds a commanding 2-0 lead in the series. West Indies will need to regroup and address their batting struggles if they are to stay competitive in the remaining matches. The teams will meet again for the third T20I, with West Indies hoping to turn things around and keep the series alive.

     

  • No disappointment for 'proud' Scotland coach Townsend No disappointment for 'proud' Scotland coach Townsend

    Gregor Townsend was immensely proud of his Scotland side after they pushed world champions South Africa close in a thrilling Test.

    Scotland ultimately went down 15-32 on Sunday, though the 17-point margin of victory flattered South Africa at Murrayfield.

    The Springboks were fortunate that Scotland failed to capitalise on a period of intense pressure during the second half, in which the hosts created plenty of opportunities.

    To make Scotland's task harder, they had to play 20 minutes of the second half with 14 players after Scott Cummings was given a yellow card that was upgraded to a 20-minute red.

    Makazole Mapimpi scored two first-half tries for South Africa, with Thomas du Toit and Jasper Wiese also going over. Scotland did not score a try, with Finn Russell kicking all of their points.

     

    "There is not that much disappointment, to be honest," Scotland coach Townsend reflected.

    "I'm proud. It was one of our best performances in the last two or three years, built on effort and physicality.

    "We put ourselves in positions to score points. It was frustrating not to get that try before half-time, but we put in a huge effort.

    "We needed to be ahead of the scoreboard in the final ten minutes, and that’s on us to make sure we are able to nail the skill and execute.

    "I thought our defence was outstanding today in holding out South Africa a few times. We were getting penalties and pressure – I thought there could have potentially been another yellow card. But there are ways we have to be better, like executing that final pass under pressure."

    Elsewhere, Wales suffered a 10th straight Test loss, equalling their worst ever run, as they went down 19-24 to Fiji in Cardiff.

    Caleb Muntz scored 19 points for Fiji, who overcame a 20-minute red card for Semi Radradra, and the pressure is mounting on Wales coach Warren Gatland ahead of meetings with Australia and South Africa.

  • Ireland making no excuses for All Blacks defeat but will assess 'energy levels' before Argentina Ireland making no excuses for All Blacks defeat but will assess 'energy levels' before Argentina

    Ireland coach Andy Farrell intends to assess the "energy levels" of his players before picking a team to play Argentina as he seeks to ensure his side can have no excuses in a busy November.

    New Zealand won 23-13 in Dublin on Friday, Ireland's first home defeat in more than three years, and Farrell's side will play three more matches before the end of the month.

    Next up are Argentina next Friday, after which Ireland face Fiji and Australia.

    There may be the temptation to make sweeping changes given the result against the All Blacks and a performance that Ireland captain Caelan Doris acknowledged was "not good enough".

    But Farrell is not rushing into any snap decisions, determined to pick a team that will allow Ireland to compete throughout the coming weeks.

    "It's a tough month, four back-to-back games on the trot, so we will see what the energy levels are like," Farrell said.

    "A lot of guys put a good shift in considering their training time, never mind game time, so we'll see how bodies are when we're back in and see what the feeling is like."

    Regardless, Farrell will not allow the schedule to be used as mitigation this month, adding: "We've always prided ourselves on getting up to speed and being as good as we possibly can be first game up, because that is the cards we are dealt with.

    "It doesn't matter if you have had three training sessions and 12 minutes of games or seven consecutive games and 50 training sessions. You try to be your best, and we weren't [against New Zealand]."

© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.