Kolisi reaches out to Curry amidst World Rugby racial saga

This week World Rugby had undertaken a review of allegations made by England’s Tom Curry in relation to the use of alleged discriminatory language by Springbok hooker Bongi Mbonambi, but on Thursday the governing body confirmed they had dismissed the case due to lack of evidence. Springbok captain, Siya Kolisi has recently reached out to Curry.

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Although the RFU has suggested they are not happy with the outcome, and may continue to pursue the matter, it does seem that this sideshow may finally be over.

BOK CAPTAIN KOLISI HAS TAKEN NOTE OF WHAT’S HAPPENED

One terrible result of this whole saga has been the abuse Curry and his family have apparently received, and it’s in this regard that Springbok captain Siya Kolisi also took a stand, confirming he had reached out to the England flank to offer support in this regard.

“I have spoken to him, I sent him a message. He is someone I respect,” Kolisi said. “We can take it (abuse/cricitism) as players, when it comes to us directly it’s fine, but when it comes to your family it’s totally different and that’s exactly what he said to me.

“It’s the one part of the game we really don’t enjoy. I hope obviously it stops and he was able to prepare fas much as he could for the game that he’s playing tomorrow. I have let him know we are supporting him, we are thinking of him.”

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WORLD RUGBY RELEASED THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT BELOW

“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.

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“It is important to note that World Rugby accepts that Tom Curry made the allegations in good faith, and that there is no suggestion that the allegation was deliberately false or malicious. World Rugby is also concerned by the social media abuse that both players have been subjected to this week.

“There is no place in rugby or society for discrimination, abuse or hate speech, and World Rugby urges fans to embrace the sport’s values of respect, integrity and solidarity.”

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