England captain Owen Farrell has hit out at the abuse directed at Tom Curry after the flanker’s allegation that South Africa hooker Bongi Mbonambi directed a racial slur at him.
Curry has been the target of threats on social media after alleging that Mbonambi called him a “white c***” during England’s World Cup semi-final defeat to the Springboks last Saturday.
Curry’s club, Sale Sharks, said that they were “absolutely appalled” by the “nature and level” of abuse. A World Rugby investigation into the incident is ongoing, with no conclusion likely until after Saturday’s World Cup final.
Steve Borthwick has picked Curry to start on the blindside in England’s bronze medal match against Argentina on Friday evening.
Farrell has slammed those sending his teammate abuse, believing it reflects a broken culture of social media criticism and abuse.
South Africa’s Bongi Mbonambi and England’s Tom Curry— (PA)
“He’s been first class, like he always is, this week,” Farrell said of Curry. “What isn’t understandable is the amount of abuse he’s got [and] the effect that that has, not just on him.
“That 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 doesn’t make it acceptable. It seems to be going more and more this way, and I don’t think it’s acceptable. It doesn’t make me look fondly on engaging with people outside of the people that are close to you.
“[Curry] is one of the most honest, most hardworking blokes I’ve ever played with. I hope he knows that everybody close to him, supports him, and backs him all the way.”
It was thought that Borthwick might leave the flanker out of his matchday 23 to face Argentina given the ongoing situation.
However, Borthwick insisted on Wednesday that Curry was “desperate to play” as England look to sign off their tournament on a high.
“This is not a Tom Curry incident,” Borthwick stressed. “Somebody has said something in a game that he has reported and now this is a World Rugby and South Africa Rugby matter to deal with, not an England rugby or a Tom Curry matter.
Tom Curry is set to feature against Argentina— (PA)
“I chatted to Tom early in the week. I think everyone saw when he came off that pitch when I took him off on Saturday night, he was cut and bloodied and exactly how Tom Curry plays.
“So I chatted to him 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 on Friday night and the way he has prepared through the week has been incredible. But that is Tom Curry. It is the way he does it every single week so I couldn’t be more proud of him from that side.”
