Argentina head coach Felipe Contepomi accused England flanker Tom Curry of bullying after a late tackle in England’s 27-23 win on Sunday, saying Curry also confronted him in the tunnel after the match.
England completed an Autumn clean sweep as Max Ojomoh put in a standout performance in his first home start, while Argentina rallied from 17-0 down to make a game of it, closing to 27-23 before spilling possession from a five-metre lineout to end their final attack. Juan Cruz Mallia was left with what Argentina described as a suspected ACL injury following Curry’s late hit, and the Pumas finished the match with 14 players after having already used all their replacements.
Tempers boiled over at the final whistle, with scuffles involving Curry and Henry Pollock among others. Contepomi criticised both the tackle and how the match was officiated, calling the contact reckless and questioning why the on-field decisions differed from precedent where outcomes had been more harshly penalised.
Contepomi said Curry later approached him in the tunnel and pushed him. He pointed out the age and size difference — Curry in his late 20s and Contepomi in his late 40s — and suggested there should have been more humility after an incident that resulted in a serious injury to an opponent. Contepomi added that his staff declined a routine post-match greeting because they were angry about what had happened, and claimed Curry swore at him and shoved him when confronted.
He also raised concerns about another incident earlier in the match involving Pablo Matera, saying a suspected high tackle led to a Head Injury Assessment (HIA) that, in his view, was not properly examined by the TMO. Contepomi noted the use of mouthguards and technology that had been deployed for three HIAs in the game and questioned their effectiveness, highlighting that Matera spent time off the field and the team was temporarily a man down.
England head coach Steve Borthwick declined to get into detailed commentary on refereeing decisions but defended his player’s character. He said he was aware of a tunnel incident but had not seen it himself and did not want it to overshadow what had been a competitive Test match. Borthwick described Tom Curry as a respectful, committed team player whose character is beyond question.
England captain Maro Itoje echoed the view that post-match emotions can run high, noting that such moments are common in both international and club rugby. He stressed the mutual respect between the sides after a hard-fought game and avoided further escalation of the incident.
The fallout from the tackle and the tunnel confrontation is likely to remain a talking point as the teams reflect on the match, with Argentina unhappy about officiating and player welfare and England defending one of their leading forwards.