‘I heard what I heard’ – Tom Curry stands by racism claim against Bongi Mbonambi

World Rugby found “insufficient evidence” to back up the England flanker’s claim.

Tom Curry is standing by allegations of racial abuse against Bongi Mbonambi (Mike Egerton/PA) (PA Wire)

England flanker Tom Curry stands by his accusation that South Africa’s Bongi Mbonambi racially abused him in the World Cup semi-final.

World Rugby found “insufficient evidence” to back up Curry’s claim that he was called a “white c***” by the Springboks player midway through the first half of the match in Paris.

Hooker Mbonambi has accused England of being “unprofessional” over the allegations, insisting “misunderstanding” arose because Curry failed to realise he was speaking Afrikaans, a common practice among the Springboks to ensure opponents do not understand their messages.

But Curry, whose girlfriend and family have since suffered online abuse, insisted “I heard what I heard.”

He said in an interview with the Daily Mail: “I didn’t really want to speak about it from the start.

“For me, on both occasions, the ball was out of play. Me and Bongi were talking and there’s no misunderstanding from my part. I went to the referee straight away. I heard what I heard. That’s all I really want to say about it and I won’t really be talking about it again.

“It was tough for my family, my girlfriend and my brother. It was a tough experience but it is what it is. The investigation’s been done and that’s all I want to say about it.”