Ben Youngs will bring down the curtain on his England career in Friday’s World Cup bronze final against Argentina at Stade de France.

The nation’s most-capped men’s player with 126 Test appearances makes his first start of the tournament but also his final Red Rose outing, having launched his international odyssey against Scotland 13 years ago.

Steve Borthwick has saluted a scrum-half master who has been first choice for most of his career until slipping down the pecking order at this World Cup due to the emergence of Alex Mitchell.

“Ben has been a tremendous player for English rugby for such a long time. He’s a brilliant player and a fantastic team man,” Borthwick said.

“He’s our record cap holder, a player who has seen a lot in four World Cups and who has played an important role within this squad helping the team progress, particularly Alex Mitchell.”

Tom Curry locks horns with Argentina despite receiving online abuse in response to the allegation that he was the victim of a racist slur against South Africa.

Curry claimed that hooker Bongi Mbonambi called him a “white c***” in Saturday’s 16-15 semi-final defeat at the Stade de France, prompting World Rugby to launch an investigation that is ongoing.

The Sale flanker continues in the back row despite being in the eye of the storm, however, and will win his 50th cap in a rematch of the pool victory over the Pumas.

Owen Farrell leads a team showing eight changes in personnel and two positional switches, one of them Curry’s move to blindside flanker to accommodate Sam Underhill’s first appearance of the World Cup in the number seven jersey.

Marcus Smith is restored at full-back after passing the HIA that forced him to sit out the South Africa showdown and the knock-on effect is that Freddie Steward moves to the right wing.

Henry Arundell returns for the first time since running in five tries against Chile in the third Pool D match, providing firepower on the left wing, while the centre partnership of Manu Tuilagi and Joe Marchant remains intact.

Head coach Borthwick fields an entirely new front row made up of Ellis Genge, Theo Dan and Will Stuart, with tighthead prop Dan Cole poised to make potentially his final England appearance off the bench.

Ollie Chessum returns in the second row, but there is no place in the 23 for George Martin, one of the heroes of the defeat by the Springboks.

“After the disappointment of last weekend’s game against South Africa, it is important that this Friday we once again play with the determination and dedication that so nearly earned the team the result we wanted,” Borthwick said.

“The bronze final gives us a great opportunity to finish the tournament on a positive note, continue to build for the future, and to give our supporters one last chance to get behind the squad out here in Paris.”

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.”

Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews knows exactly what it takes to beat England at a World Cup and the veteran batter is promising to “fight fire with fire” when the sides meet in Bengaluru.

Mathews has only been an official part of the squad for 24 hours, called up as an injury replacement for Matheesha Pathirana after being left out of the original line-up, but goes straight into the side on Thursday.

The 35-year-old brings bundles of hard-bitten experience with him, including a few memorable tussles with England over the years.

There have been Test centuries at Lord’s, Headingley and Galle, as well as a brilliant knock in a losing cause in the T20 World Cup of 2016.

But most relevant to the task at hand was the dogged 85 not out in Leeds four years ago, a match-winning effort that threatened to derail what became a triumphant tournament for Eoin Morgan’s men.

Neither team can afford to lose at the Chinnaswamy Stadium this time, leaving Mathews ready for a high-octane affair.

“We have to fight fire with fire because we know they will come really hard at us,” he said.

“Obviously we have to play our ‘A’ game against a very strong England team. Even though they haven’t played to their potential they are a very dangerous team.

“We know their brand of cricket is all about being positive; if you take a backward step they are going to jump all over you and take the advantage. They can hurt us badly if we are complacent.”

Mathews also made it clear the expertise and inside knowledge of former England head coach Chris Silverwood, who now sits in their dressing room, has not gone to waste.

“Chris knows most of their players in and out, we’ve had discussions about their team as well,” he said.

Tom Curry starts England’s World Cup bronze final against Argentina despite receiving online abuse in response to the allegation that he was the victim of a racist slur against South Africa.

Curry claimed that hooker Bongi Mbonambi called him a “white c***” in Saturday’s 16-15 semi-final defeat at the Stade de France, prompting World Rugby to launch an investigation that is ongoing.

The Sale flanker continues in the back row despite being in the eye of the storm, however, and will win his 50th cap in a rematch of the pool victory over the Pumas.

Owen Farrell leads a team showing eight changes in personnel and two positional switches, one of them Curry’s move to blindside flanker to accommodate Sam Underhill’s first appearance of the World Cup in the number seven jersey.

Marcus Smith is restored at full-back after passing the HIA that forced him to sit out the South Africa showdown and the knock-on effect is that Freddie Steward moves to the right wing.

Moeen Ali believes former England coach Chris Silverwood will be keen to “prove a point” with his Sri Lanka side in Thursday’s World Cup clash in Bengaluru.

Silverwood was England’s fast bowling coach they won the tournament in 2019 and expected to be the man in charge of the title defence when he was chosen to succeed Trevor Bayliss in the top job.

But his reign came to an ignominious end when he was sacked after the 2021/22 Ashes debacle, with England subsequently opting to split the job between red and white-ball specialists.

Silverwood made a quick return to international cricket with Sri Lanka and faces his old charges in a game that both nations need to win to maintain any realistic chance of reaching the knockout stages.

England have already been bested by one of their own in India, with former batter Jonathan Trott guiding Afghanistan to a shock win in Delhi, and are aware of the extra layer of intrigue created by Silverwood’s appearance in the opposition dugout.

“I’m sure he’s got that motivation to do well in this game, definitely,” said Moeen.

“They’ve only won once, so they’ll want to get on a winning run as well and he’ll be thinking more about that and his own team.

“But I’m sure deep down, like everybody else, he’ll be trying to prove a point or whatever it is and that will motivate him a little bit more.

“He’s a good coach and a nice guy, and I enjoyed (working with) him. But he’s not the one going out to bat and bowl, it’s his team. He’ll be trying to get them ready.”

Moeen is heading into the game with some some additional motivation of his own, having been confined to a watching brief since the opening match of the tournament.

Despite being the squad’s nominated vice-captain, the 36-year-old was dropped after the nine-wicket thrashing by New Zealand and has now missed three in a row.

Things have hardly improved in his absence and, after England’s heaviest ever ODI defeat at the hands of South Africa last time out, he is odds-on to return in a city he once called home during his IPL stint with Royal Challengers Bangalore.

“It’s been very frustrating, obviously, because you want to play and make some sort of difference,” he said of his stint on the bench.

“It’s difficult when you’re not winning and then when you’re not playing on top of that, it’s hard. I’m hoping to play and get a chance to perform.

“It’s one of those grounds where scoring is quick and batting deep makes a big difference. If I get the nod, then I’m really looking forward to playing. I’ve played franchise cricket here and it’s a great place to play, a great venue. I’m be pretty excited.”

England radically altered the balance of their side against the Proteas, banishing their core of all-rounders in favour of their top six batters and five specialist bowlers.

A 229-run thrashing is likely to see that formula banished. Three changes are possible, with Reece Topley having flown home with a broken finger and Gus Atkinson and David Willey both vulnerable. Chris Woakes and Liam Livingstone would be favourites to return alongside Moeen.

Topley’s injury replacement, Brydon Carse, has arrived in the country and trained for the first time on Wednesday afternoon.

World Rugby has opened an investigation into the alleged racist slur directed at England flanker Tom Curry by South Africa hooker Mbongeni Mbonambi in Saturday’s World Cup semi-final.

Curry claimed to referee Ben O’Keeffe in the second quarter of the Stade de France clash that he had been called a “white c***” by Mbonambi.

“World Rugby takes all allegations of discriminatory behaviour extremely seriously,” a statement read.

“We can confirm that we are formally reviewing the allegation made by England’s Tom Curry in relation to the use of discriminatory language during the England versus South Africa Rugby World Cup 2023 semi-final on Saturday.

“World Rugby will not be making further comment until the conclusion of the process.”

England continued on the path towards one of their worst ever World Cup campaigns with a humbling 229-run defeat to South Africa on Saturday.

As well as being England’s heaviest one-day international defeat by runs, it was their third in four games at this year’s tournament – one away from equalling an unwanted record.

They lost four out of six games in both 1996 and 2015 and here, the PA news agency looks at how the current tournament compares.

1996

England lost their opening game to New Zealand by 11 runs, but wins over group minnows the United Arab Emirates and the Netherlands essentially ensured their quarter-final place, in a format which lent itself to the big teams progressing comfortably.

They rounded out the group stage with defeats to South Africa, by 78 runs, and Pakistan by seven wickets, leaving them fourth and facing Group A surprise package Sri Lanka, who won the quarter-final by five wickets with almost 10 overs to spare on their way to the title – Sanath Jayasuriya hit 82 off 44 balls.

A bowling attack led by Darren Gough and Peter Martin, and with spinner Richard Illingworth sharing the new ball against Sri Lanka, struggled in the tournament and took their wickets at an average of 33 runs, which would remain England’s worst at a World Cup until 2011.

Only four England batters passed 100 runs, including captain Michael Atherton who averaged 19.83.

2015

A 15-run defeat to underdogs Bangladesh was the key moment as England exited the tournament in the group stage for only the third time, following 1999 and 2003.

England were also heavily beaten by Pool A’s fancied teams, by 111 runs against Australia and eight and nine wickets respectively against New Zealand and Sri Lanka, with their only wins coming against Scotland and Afghanistan.

Their average of 29.49 runs for each wicket lost was their third-lowest at a World Cup, beating only 1979 (23.82) and 2003 (25.85), while a rate of 37.47 per wicket taken was their worst ever. Among bowlers who played at least three games, only Steven Finn (25.00) averaged under 45.

2023

England are on track for worse averages with bat and ball than in that dismal 2015 campaign, currently averaging 27.13 runs per wicket lost and a barely believable 42.61 with the ball.

Dawid Malan’s beautiful century against Bangladesh is a lone hand so far – Mark Wood remarkably leads the batting averages, with 80 runs in 58 balls for one dismissal, but has taken three wickets at 70. Reece Topley, who leads the bowling averages with eight wickets at 22.87, will not play again at the tournament due to a broken finger.

The 229-run margin against South Africa surpassed by over 100 England’s previous heaviest World Cup loss batting second, a 122-run defeat to the same opposition in 1999. Australia last year inflicted England’s then-record ODI defeat, by 221 runs.

Similarly, the nine-wicket loss to New Zealand has been surpassed only once, Sri Lanka chasing down 230 without losing a wicket in 2011, and matched twice more – by South Africa in 2007 and Sri Lanka in 2015. The Black Caps had 82 balls remaining, exceeded only by the Proteas among those games and by only three England World Cup losses ever.

England’s only other four-loss World Cup came in 2007, when they played nine games in a tournament featuring a ‘Super Eight’ stage. They lost three in 1987, 1992, 2003, 2011 and on their way to the 2019 title.

England’s World Cup defence is hanging by a thread after losing three of the first four games in India.

Jos Buttler’s side have come up short against New Zealand, Afghanistan and South Africa and have a mountain to climb to salvage the campaign.

Here, the PA news agency looks at what has gone wrong and what comes next.

Do they still have a chance?

With the elongated group format, England still have another five games to play between now and November 11 whatever happens. Mathematically speaking there are a few shades of grey in terms of what they need to do, but realistically things are already black and white. England need wins and lots of them. They may well require a perfect run to retain their crown and, with games against the table-topping hosts, rivals Australia and an unpredictable Pakistan, that looks a tough ask.

What role has selection played in their struggles?

Things are certainly a lot less clear than they were four years ago, when Jofra Archer’s late arrival completed the jigsaw. First England left Harry Brook out of their provisional squad, then swapped him with Jason Roy at the last minute, installing Dawid Malan as first-choice opener on the eve of the tournament. Since landing, things have been even more muddled. Reece Topley was omitted from the opener and proved to be the team’s in-form bowler when he was restored to the side. More bafflingly still, England picked a phalanx of all-rounders in game one (Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes) and left out all four of them in favour of specialists by game four.

Is this a step too far for the world beaters of 2019?

There is no escaping the fact that this is a side that is rapidly moving to the end of its natural lifespan. Eleven of the 15-man squad are north of 30 and there are eight survivors from the squad that triumphed at Lord’s four years ago. At times it has been impossible to escape the suspicion that too many of these players have tipped past their peak as 50-over prospects. Looking at the core of the side – Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Chris Woakes and Adil Rashid – it is hard to argue any are better one-day cricketers than they were in 2019.

Where is the new blood then?

Dislodging players who are destined to go down among the country’s all-time greats in the format was never going to be an easy task for the next generation but the lack of renewal is still striking. Was it realistic to expect challengers to emerge from a county system that has devalued the domestic 50-over tournament to a second-tier cup sub-servient to The Hundred? Gus Atkinson had played a grand total of two List A games before his ODI debut and Brook admitted this month that he was “learning the format” on the biggest stage of all. Expecting a sufficient supply of fresh talent to emerge in the current eco-system looks to be a pipe dream.

Are there issues over the leadership?

The captain-coach relationship between Jos Buttler and Matthew Mott got off to a roaring start when they won the T20 World Cup together last year just a few months into their time together. But with so much emphasis on the ‘Bazball’ revolution in the Test arena, their job has got trickier. With fewer matches, longer gaps and less availability of big names they have been left to pull things together at the last minute and it simply hasn’t worked. The decision making has been wanting – from the chopping and changing on the team-sheet to the baffling logic of bowling first in stifling conditions in Mumbai – but the real issues may run deeper and wider than the dressing room alone. Eoin Morgan proved his mettle in the immediate aftermath of the botched 2015 campaign when he led with a strong voice and demanded the players and resources to succeed. If Buttler and Mott are to succeed in the long run they may need assert themselves in similar style.

England have called up Brydon Carse to their World Cup squad in India, with Joe Root claiming the seamer could inherit Liam Plunkett’s mantle as master of the middle overs.

Struggling England lost their leading wicket-taker during Saturday’s record-breaking defeat by South Africa, when Reece Topley fractured his left index finger fielding off his own bowling.

Head coach Matthew Mott initially suggested there was no guarantee another seamer would be brought in as his replacement, inviting the likes of Jason Roy, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson and Rehan Ahmed into the conversation, but Carse’s selection maintains the status quo.

The 28-year-old was the next seamer in line and may have made a stronger push for the original 15-man squad had he not suffered injury issues of his own over the summer. He was ultimately overtaken by Surrey’s Gus Atkinson, but will now link up with the group in Bengaluru.

Thursday’s game against Sri Lanka will probably come too soon for Carse, who has taken 14 wickets in 12 ODIs to date, but with questions surrounding a team that has lost three out of their first four games he will hope to push hard for a chance.

England have never quite found their heir to Plunkett, the 2019 World Cup winner who nailed a tricky role through the middle of the innings, and Root believes Carse could carry that baton.

“Brydon is a brilliant all-round package. He scores some handy runs for you, is very dynamic in the field and he’s got a unique wicket-taking ability,” said Root.

“He’s got that Ben Stokes element to him where you sometimes feel like nothing is happening and then he’ll pick up wickets, almost in a ‘Junior Plunkett’ kind of way. He’s very similar.”

Plunkett was often undervalued for his role in England’s white-ball revolution but played a crucial role in the 2019 final and was the only squad member to enjoy a 100 per cent record at the tournament.

“Pudsey (Plunkett) won’t like me saying this, but he’s almost got more to offer with the bat,” Root continued.

“He’s probably not got as much to offer in the dressing-room just yet, but he’s a big personality too and a great character to have around, so he’s a good addition. Whenever someone comes in and they’re excited, and you can see it on their face straightaway, a smile is infectious isn’t it?

“It can bring the best out of everyone and having that come into the group can’t be a bad thing for sure.”

Tom Johnstone’s second-half double sealed a rugged 22-18 win for England in the first of their three-match autumn Test series against Tonga in St Helens.

The Catalans Dragons winger had been almost anonymous in the first half but pounced on a pair of chances – the first a sublime floated pass from captain Jack Welsby – as the hosts pulled clear in the second period.

An impressive debut from Hull KR stand-off Mikey Lewis, who made then scored one before the break, also contributed to an encouraging afternoon for Shaun Wane’s men who were still forced to live on their nerves in the final stages.

A late try from Tolutau Koula threatened to set up a grandstand finish but England held on for the win in what was their first serious test since last year’s heartbreaking World Cup semi-final exit.

Tonga, boasting a side bristling with NRL talent, had themselves been looking to recover from a disappointing World Cup and deservedly reached the half-time hooter all-square at 12-12.

But it was the hosts who had made the first move and it took Lewis just eight minutes of his international bow to make an impact as his superb break set up a move that swung left through Victor Radley for Toby King to trot over on the left.

Harry Smith kicked England six clear but Tonga fought back after capitalising on a penalty for a ball steal, Saints’ Will Hopoate providing the decisive pass in a move that sent Wests Tigers’ Starford To’a in on the right edge.

Tonga went in front in the 25th minute when the second of their England-based starters, Huddersfield’s Tui Lolohea, delivered a neat kick for Tyson Frizell, who started his international career with Wales over a decade ago, to dart onto.

Isaiya Katoa’s first successful conversion lifted Tonga, backed by a boisterous band of fans behind the posts, into a four-point lead, before superb solo effort from Lewis, who wriggled through an imposing Tongan rearguard, levelled once again.

Harry Smith curled over the conversion to nudge England in front and Katoa responded with a penalty in front of the posts just before the half-time hooter.

Tonga were clearly growing in confidence, evidenced by the lively Keaon Koloamatangi, who produced an audacious offload to find space for Will Penisini, then bulled inches from the England where he was stopped by a timely Harry Smith tackle.

As the action warmed up, Johnstone’s hopes of a breakthrough were brutally stopped by Hopoate, then the action swung to the other end where To’a was ushered out of play as the visitors threatened again.

Welsby’s brilliance thrust England back in front after 55 minutes when he floated a perfectly-judged pass above the heads of three Tongan players to gift Johnstone the simplest of chances to get off the mark.

And a swift second from the Catalans man, when he pounced to intercept after a fumble by Penisini on the Tongan 40, left the fleet-footed Catalans star to race in under the posts from where’s Smith’s simplest conversion extended England’s lead to 22-12.

Tom Burgess was adjudged to have been held up over the line as England looked to finish the contest off but Tonga set up an anxious last two minutes when Tolutau Koula went over on the left, as if to serve as a timely reminder of two further bruising challenges to come.

England are on the lookout for an “X factor” player to re-energise their World Cup campaign after Reece Topley was ruled out of the tournament with a broken finger.

Topley’s long-running injury curse struck again during Saturday’s record defeat at the hands of South Africa in Mumbai, with the in-form left-arm seamer fracturing the index finger of his bowling hand attempting to block a drive.

The 29-year-old’s initial anguished reaction gave a heavy hint that he was in trouble and, although he bravely returned to the attack with taped up digits, follow-up scans have confirmed the break.

England, who are in strife after three heavy defeats in their first four games, will send for a replacement but have yet to decide who will step in for their leading wicket taker.

Durham’s Brydon Carse is a strong candidate and would offer a handy pace option in the middle overs as well as strong lower-order batting, while Lancashire’s Luke Wood matches Topley’s description as a left-arm new-ball specialist.

But like-for-like substitutes are not mandatory and head coach Matthew Mott admitted England would assess every option.

Big-hitting opener Jason Roy, who was named in the provisional squad then cut for Harry Brook at the last moment, represents the most intriguing of all potential options.

He was widely believed to have played his last game after being left out on the eve of the tournament, and turned down a place in subsequent squad to face Ireland, but England have consistently said he remained in contention as a reserve.

He also represents a link to the fast fading glory days on 2019 but whether it is a tangent they would be willing to take, having thrown their faith behind Dawid Malan at the top of the order, is far from certain.

The versatile Ben Duckett is also on the list of possibles, while spin bowling all-rounders Rehan Ahmed and Will Jacks would represent an obvious investment in the future of a side in need of renewal.

Asked if England would be looking for a pace bowler in Topley’s absence, Mott said: “That’s a good question. We’ll have to sit down and have a look at that.

“We’ll have to look at the upcoming games (and see) if there is an X factor player we can look at.

“That’s why we were very keen not to name the replacements and reserves. It leaves an open mind for what we’re going to go with.”

Rob Key, the managing director of England men’s cricket, is currently with the squad and travelled with them from Mumbai to Bengaluru on Sunday. He will also have a big say in the final decision, joining Mott and captain Jos Buttler.

Announcing Topley’s exit from the campaign, the England and Wales Cricket Board said: “Scans in Mumbai on Saturday, after the match at the Wankhede Stadium, revealed the full extent of the injury. Topley will return to the UK in the next 24 hours.

“He will work closely with the England and Surrey medical teams in respect of his rehabilitation. A replacement will be announced in due course.”

South Africa have begun investigating an alleged racist slur directed at England flanker Tom Curry by their hooker Mbongeni Mbonambi.

England have until Monday morning to lodge a complaint with the citing officer after Curry claimed he had been the victim of a discriminatory remark in Saturday’s 16-15 World Cup semi-final defeat by the Springboks.

Curry drew the incident to the attention of referee Ben O’Keeffe in the second quarter of the match at the Stade de France.

Although the alleged slur is not audible on the ref mic, Curry’s subsequent conversation with O’Keeffe is.

“Sir, if their hooker calls me a white c*** what do I do?” the Sale flanker said.

O’Keeffe replied: “Nothing, please. I’ll be on it.”

South Africa on Sunday responded by confirming they are looking into the incident.

“We are aware of the allegation, which we take very seriously, and are reviewing the available evidence. We will engage with Bongi if anything is found to substantiate the claim,” an SA Rugby statement read.

When asked after the match if Mbonambi had said something he should not have done, Curry replied “yeah”, although he declined to reveal the content of the remark.

Mbonambi, who took over as captain once Siya Kolisi had been replaced, refused to shake Curry’s hand at the end of a dramatic clash in Paris that was won by Handre Pollard’s penalty after 78 minutes.

World Rugby confirmed there is a 36-hour window from when the game ends for England to lodge a complaint to the citing officer, giving them until 10am BST on Monday to act.

The sport’s global governing body can also choose to pursue the matter, with any case likely to be brought under the ‘bringing the game into disrepute’ banner.

Also, if the citing officer finds any evidence of the alleged racist remark, disciplinary proceedings can be triggered against Mbonambi, with an offence such as this likely to contravene law 9.12 – a player must not verbally abuse anyone.

England led for all but five minutes of the semi-final and were nine points ahead until RG Snyman went over in the 70th minute at a time when the Springboks’ scrum was taking control through the introduction of the ‘Bomb Squad’.

Jonny May said England’s heroic effort against the world champions was fuelled by the belief that they had been dismissed as a serious threat by South Africa.

“I’ll be honest, I don’t think necessarily the South Africans respect us,” May said.

“Some of the things their coach has openly said about us in their documentaries and stuff probably just adds fuel to the fire.

“We touched on their documentary and we’ve got staff who were with them and they gave us insight of how they feel about us.”

Steve Borthwick vowed to use England’s heartbreaking World Cup semi-final exit at the hands of South Africa to sow a seed for future success.

Borthwick’s unfancied side led by nine points in the final quarter and were on the cusp of a famous win until Handre Pollard’s late penalty condemned them to an agonising 16-15 defeat.

Many of England’s players collapsed to their knees following a colossal, but ultimately unsuccessful, effort against the reigning champions on a sodden evening in Paris.

While head coach Borthwick was similarly crestfallen by the dramatic late twist at Stade de France, he was proud of the efforts of his team and upbeat about what lies ahead.

“We came here with a plan to win the game and we fell a little bit short, not far short but a little bit short, so we’re desperately disappointed,” he said.

“I think we all truly believed we could do it, we were going to do it, and we came very close to doing so.

“In adversity, in these tough times, there’s usually some seed of it there that will grow and be something brilliant in the future.

“Right now it’s too early for me to find that seed but we’ll make sure we find it.

“We’ll make sure that we take some of what we find tonight, some of what we’ve gone through tonight, we’ll make sure we grab that and we’ll make sure it makes us stronger in the future.”

Captain Owen Farrell produced an outstanding performance, kicking all of his side’s points, including a superb drop goal.

His efforts looked to be sufficient for victory but RG Snyman barged over for the only try of the match in the 70th minute to set up a grandstand finish.

Man-of-the-match Pollard, who booted the Springboks to victory over England in the 2019 final, nailed the tricky conversion and then landed a monster penalty two minutes from time to inflict more anguish on the opposition.

“The players should be incredibly proud of what they’ve done and continue to do as they represent England rugby,” continued Borthwick.

“I know I’ll have at home a couple of young boys who are going to be bitterly disappointed and I’m sure there are lots of people that are proud but also gutted back in England, I’m sure there are millions of people like that.

“I care about these players, I care about these supporters, and I care about English rugby.

“What I see is a group of guys who are doing as much as they possibly can to set an example, to build a team, to have supporters proud of them.

“They’re led by this man next to me (Farrell), who I think has been and continues to be a phenomenal player and an incredible leader of this team.”

New Zealand await South Africa in next weekend’s final.

Springboks head coach Jacques Nienaber praised his team’s fighting spirit.

“I pay a lot of credit to England,” he said. “They were outstanding on the night.

“They had a very good tactical plan and they put us under pressure. We will have to improve because it took us some time to get to grips with it.

“But the strength of this team is that even if we’re not playing well we find a way to get the result.

“It took 80 minutes to get a foothold in the game. The team refused to give up and fought until the end.”

Springboks captain Siya Kolisi was convinced fly-half Pollard, who came on for Manie Libbok with only half an hour gone, would land the decisive penalty from just inside England’s half.

“I had no doubt at all,” he said. “He’s done it for us before.

“England are a world-class team and completely different to a year ago. They had an amazing game plan which we took too long to adapt to.

“These things happen but we dug deep to get the victory. Other teams wouldn’t be able to get the win from this. I’m not going to say it was ugly, we did what was needed.”

England collapsed to an agonising 16-15 defeat against South Africa at the Stade de France as they allowed a place in Saturday’s World Cup final against New Zealand to slip from their grasp.

Steve Borthwick’s men led by nine points in the final quarter but their wet-weather masterclass began to fade as the ‘Bomb Squad’ made their presence felt for the Springboks, especially in the scrum.

It was on the back of their set-piece ascendancy and the generalship of replacement fly-half Handre Pollard that the tables turned in a sodden Paris.

RG Snyman barged over for the only try of the match in the 70th minute and Pollard nailed a tricky conversion, setting up heart-stopping finish to a Test that was enthralling throughout.

The world champions were still two points behind but up stepped man-of-the-match Pollard to land the killer blow with two minutes left, nailing a penalty from just inside England’s half.

England’s players sank to their knees at the final whistle, their hearts broken having given their all in a rematch of the 2019 final despite being distant outsiders, and it was an especially cruel moment for Owen Farrell given his outstanding night.

Farrell was at the heart of many of his side’s best moments and although the captain drew the now customary boos when his name was read out on the PA system pre-match, he replied by drawing first blood with a penalty.

Breakdown and line-out success, as well as Ben Earl blasting off the base of the scrum, were further early wins until a promising drive downfield ended with Farrell kicking his second penalty.

Three times in a row England turned over South African line-out drives, winning a penalty on the third of them to relieve the pressure that was building on their line.

Every aspect of an arm wrestle of a contest was being won by England, but they were also their own worst enemies as they gave away three needless penalties, one of them for a moment of petulance from Farrell that allowed Manie Libbok to land three points.

His eyes bulging, Farrell was playing on the edge and had to be escorted away from referee Ben O’Keeffe, but he regained his composure to re-establish the six-point lead.

Libbok became the fall guy for South Africa’s woes when he was replaced in the 32nd minute by Pollard in the hope the 2019 World Cup winner would bring greater control.

Pollard’s first involvement was to boot a penalty and growing tension was evident as errors crept into both sides, but when Farrell found the target for the fourth time, England entered the break with a deserved 12-6 lead.

Rookie Leicester lock George Martin had been at the forefront of red rose resistance through his savage tackling and as the rain continued to fall there was no prospect of the game opening up.

Scrum-half Cobus Reinach and full-back Damian Willemse were the next to be pulled by South Africa, who now had Faf de Klerk and Willie le Roux on the field, and then Eben Etzebeth followed them into the dugout.

The changes were a reflection of England’s control and just as the Springboks appeared to be clawing their way into contention, Farrell rifled over a sensational drop-goal.

England’s captain was striking gold with every touch as a wicked crossfield grubber caused Kurt-Lee Arendse to fumble, but South Africa were beginning to harvest penalties at the scrum.

Suddenly the Springboks went up a gear, their pack pouring forwards from a line-out for Snyman to score.

It was now all South Africa, who had discovered a new lease of life, and when the moment for glory came, Pollard stepped up to deliver his monster penalty.

Manchester United and England great Sir Bobby Charlton has died aged 86, his family have announced in a statement.

Charlton was a key member of England’s victorious 1966 World Cup team and also enjoyed great success at club level with United, who became the first English club to win the European Cup in 1968.

A statement on behalf of the Charlton family said: “It is with great sadness that we share the news that Sir Bobby passed peacefully in the early hours of Saturday morning. He was surrounded by his family.”

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