Worst case scenario for Springboks if Bongi Mbonambi is charged by World Rugby

After claims he harassed an England player racially during their semi-final, Springboks hooker Bongi Mbonambi will find out on Monday if he can participate in the Rugby World Cup final.

Since the England semi-final ended at 11 p.m. on Saturday, charges have to be lodged against him before 11 a.m. on Monday. The citing period for verbal abuse or foul play is 36 hours from the completion of the game.

It seems expected that Mbonambi and the Springboks will find out the hooker’s destiny on Monday afternoon.

England’s side Referee Ben O’Keefe was informed by Tom Curry that Mbonambi had used a racial slur, and the man in the middle instructed the forward to take no action, presumably so that a citing commission could investigate the incident following the match.

The fourth quarter of the match saw the Springboks mount an incredible comeback from a 15-6 deficit to win the semi-final 16–15. This means that on Saturday, the All Blacks and Springboks will play in the championship match.

“No true predecessor”

Since verbal abuse during a game has seldom resulted in consequences, it is uncertain whether Mbonambi will face a ban should charges be brought against him and he is proven guilty. As a result, director of rugby Raisi Erasmus and coach of the Springboks, Jacques Nienaber, will have to wait nervously.

In the worst case scenario, though, the Springboks will be forced to depend entirely on Deon Fourie at the hooker position if Mbonambi is not permitted to play in the championship. Despite not being a specialized hooker, Fourie has been getting ready to fill in for Malcolm Marx in the position following his injury earlier in the competition.

Instead of calling up another hooker for the flyhalf position, the Siya Kolisi-led Springboks chose to use Handre Pollard as cover. This decision has already paid off, as the competition’s final rounds have relied heavily on the number 10’s precision from the kicking tee.

In a statement, World Rugby also stated that it was investigating the situation.

“World Rugby takes seriously all accusations of discriminatory conduct.

“We can formally announce that we are looking into the allegation made by England’s Tom Curry that racist remarks were made on Saturday during England’s Rugby World Cup 2023 semifinal match against South Africa.

“World Rugby will hold off on commenting until the process is complete.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *