Following accusations of a racial slur made against Springboks’ Bongi Mbonambi by England’s Tom Curry, captain Siya Kolisi contacted Tom after he and his family were subjected to online abuse.
During the Springboks-England match last week Saturday, Tom accused Bongi of calling him a “white c*nt,” which many believe he misheard for “wide side” (wyd kant) or “white side” (wit kant) in Afrikaans. The Springboks team purposefully speak to one another in Afrikaans on the field so that their competitors have no clue of their plans.
The accusation led to an investigation opened by World Rugby, who cleared Bongi as there was insufficient evidence.
On 26 October, England’s Rugby Football Union (RFU) released a statement regarding the aftermath of the accusation. The statement read:
“In their continued full support of Tom, the RFU together with the England squad, condemn the disgusting abuse he and his family has received on social media as a result of his having had the courage to put unacceptable behaviour that has no place in society or on the rugby field, in the public eye. Abuse of any kind is not acceptable and goes against the core values of rugby.”
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— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) October 26, 2023
When Siya was asked by a reporter his thoughts of the online abuse, the captain said, “I obviously don’t support that and I feel for him. I have spoken to him, I sent him a message as soon as I saw that was going on because he is somebody that I respect, that I’ve played against for quite a while.”
Noting that he has also experienced online abuse, Siya continued, “We can take it, as players, when it comes to us directly, but when it comes to your family, it is totally different… It’s the one part of the game that we really don’t enjoy… As a rugby family, as much as we compete, we definitely do support each other when things like this happen.”
He concluded, “I feel for him and I feel for his family, and I hope it stops… I’ve let him know that we are supporting him and that we are thinking of him.”
Also see: English rugby player accuses Bongi Mbonambi of using racial slur
