World Rugby has confirmed it will formally review the alleged use of a racial slur by South Africa hooker Bongi Mbonambi towards England’s Tom Curry.
If banned, Mbonambi could miss the final against New Zealand on Saturday.
World Rugby said it will take the allegation “extremely seriously”.
The governing body confirmed it will make no further comment on the incident until the conclusion of its review process.
England flanker Curry was asked after the match whether something untoward had been said to him by Mbonambi.
“Yeah,” he replied, before adding that “it does not need to be talked about”.
It appeared that Mbonambi refused to shake Curry’s hand as the acrimony between the two sides continued following the final whistle.
Teams are given up to 36 hours after the culmination of matches to refer incidents to the citing commissioner.
Mbonambi is the only specialist hooker in the South Africa squad, with the team’s management having opted to replace the injured Malcolm Marx with fly-half Handre Pollard earlier in the tournament.
SA Rugby – the South African rugby union – had already started its own investigation into Curry’s claim.
“We are aware of the allegation, which we take very seriously, and are reviewing the available evidence,” it said.
“We will engage with Bongi if anything is found to substantiate the claim.”
— Reports /TrainViral/
