England's Curry stands by Mbonambi racism claim: 'I heard what I heard'

England flanker Tom Curry boldly stands by his claim that Springbok hooker Bongi Mbonambi racially abused him during the Rugby World Cup semi-final. 

This alleged incident unfolded when the ball was out of play, according to Curry.

He had asserted that Mbonambi called him a "white c***" during the first half of the Rugby World Cup knockout tie.

"I didn't really want to speak about it from the start," Curry said in an interview with Daily Mail.

"For me, on both occasions, the ball was out of play. Me and Bongi were talking and there's no misunderstanding from my part. I went to the referee straight away.

"I heard what I heard. That's all I really want to say about it and I won't really be talking about it again."

READ | Mbonambi slams 'unprofessional' England over Curry allegations

The match at the Stade de France in Paris was ultimately won by South Africa with a razor-thin margin of 16-15.

World Rugby, in its investigation, concluded that there was "insufficient evidence" to substantiate the claim made by the England loose forward.

A few weeks after the Boks beat New Zealand 12-11 in the final, Mbonambi clarified that he was uttering "wyd kant" during the match, which translates to "wide side".

He accused England of being "unprofessional" in their response, particularly for criticising World Rugby's decision not to initiate a comprehensive investigation into the matter.

It's a common practice for Springboks to communicate in Afrikaans to conceal calls, adding a layer of strategy to their game.

"I think it is a very sad thing when you live in a first world country (England), you think the rest of the world speaks English," he told BBC Sport Africa on Tuesday.

"It was unprofessional on their part. They could have gone on a website