This was supposed to be the most Instagrammable of rugby weeks. A World Cup final in one of the world’s most beautiful cities, two fine teams, a smoothly run sport at the top of its game. Instead, at the precise moment of maximum global exposure, there is ugliness, rancour and division that now threatens to fester for months after the tournament is finished.
The fundamental facts of the Tom Curry/Bongi Mbonambi controversy are now well documented, starting from the moment Curry approached the referee Ben O’Keeffe in the first half of last week’s semi-final between England and South Africa to ask: “Sir, if their hooker calls me a white cunt what do I do?” The ramifications are growing ever more toxic and, despite its best efforts, the sport’s governing body, World Rugby, clearly still has a serious problem on its hands.
