Bongi Mbonambi cleared to play in rugby World Cup final after racial allegations dropped

Mbonambi was accused of making a racist comment towards England's Tom Curry

The alleged slur took place in the first half of the game with the England back-row’s complaints having been picked up on Ben O’Keeffe’s ref-mic. The 25-year-old England flanker accused the South African of calling him a ‘white c**t.’

"Sir, Sir, if their hooker calls me a white c**t, what do I do?" Curry asked the New Zealand referee in the 23rd minute of the game.

O’Keeffe responded to England player’s complaints by saying "Nothing please," before he added "I will be on it."

8 seconds in is the audio. Bongi is shouting ‘wit kant’. White side. I think this is the Springboks system call for when the opposition are switching the play. He identifies this early and alerts his defenders.

You can hear him shout it repeatedly. pic.twitter.com/MvG3qYnpYr

— A-P (@rugby_ap) October 23, 2023

A statement from World Rugby confirmed that after conducting an investigation into the allegations, there was "insufficient evidence at this time to proceed with charges".

The rest of the statement said: "World Rugby has undertaken a review of allegations made by England’s Tom Curry in relation to the use of discriminatory language by South Africa’s Mbongeni Mbonambi during the England versus South Africa Rugby World Cup 2023 semi-final on Saturday along with a further allegation brought forward in recent days about a previous match in the Autumn Nations Series 2022.

"Any allegation of discrimination is taken extremely seriously by World Rugby, warranting a thorough investigation.

"Having considered all the available evidence, including match footage, audio and evidence from both teams, the governing body has determined that there is insufficient evidence at this time to proceed with charges.

"Therefore, the matter is deemed closed unless additional evidence comes to light."

World Rugby added that they were "concerned by the social media abuse that both players have been subjected to" and that there "is no place in rugby or society for discrimination, abuse or hate speech".

Mbonambi has been named in South Afrcia's starting 15 for the game on Saturday.

Related links:

• South Africa’s Bongi Mbonambi accused of racist slur by England’s Tom Curry
• Footage released of ‘racist slur’ Tom Curry reported after World Cup semi final defeat
• World Rugby approves new 24-team Nations Cup