Six Nations has asked England to provide its account of a tunnel confrontation between Tom Curry and Argentina head coach Felipe Contepomi after Argentina filed a formal complaint. The governing body, which oversees the autumn internationals and related disciplinary matters, expects to receive England’s information by Tuesday morning before deciding whether to open an investigation on grounds the game was brought into disrepute.
Contepomi accused Curry of bullying, saying the England flanker gave him “a little smack” in the tunnel and pushed him after being told to “f*** off”. Argentina say they lodged an official complaint after Contepomi was shoved and told to leave by Curry following England’s 27-23 victory.
The flashpoint on the field came with Curry’s late tackle on Juan Cruz Mallia in the 75th minute, which forced the Argentina full-back off with what the Pumas have confirmed is an ACL knee injury. The challenge drew a penalty but was not referred to the television match official and did not meet the threshold for a citing.
Contepomi left the coaches’ box to protest the tackle and a scuffle broke out at the final whistle before the tunnel incident. He said he was standing nearby when Curry approached, and that, after confronting him about the injury to Mallia, Curry replied “f*** off” and pushed him. Contepomi added the incident was caught on camera and said England team manager Richard Hill was present; the RFU is understood to be willing to provide footage if required.
England head coach Steve Borthwick and centre Henry Slade rejected Contepomi’s description of Curry as a “bully.” Borthwick said he did not see the tunnel incident, was in the changing room at the time, and declined to comment on refereeing decisions made during the match. He defended Curry’s character, calling him “a fantastic team man” and “very respectful.”
England captain Maro Itoje said he was unaware of what happened in the tunnel but noted post-match emotions can run high: “Post-game on the pitch emotions are always flying high… That’s part and parcel of rugby.” Six Nations will review the material it receives before determining whether to launch a formal inquiry.