World Rugby has badly let down England and Tom Curry

‌It is a sign of how high emotions are running over this episode, and of how far the RFU trusts Curry’s account of what he heard. Equally striking is the response of Steve Borthwick. Not a man predisposed to making impassioned comments in press conferences, or to wading into acutely sensitive disputes, the head coach nonetheless excoriated World Rugby for “not allowing the opportunity for the victim’s voice to be heard”.

‌All told, it was an impressively united display by England in defence of Curry, and of the idea that anyone testifying about being the target of racist language should receive a full hearing. For Borthwick, a character who abhors hyperbole, to describe World Rugby’s resolution as “incredibly disappointing” is indicative of the molten rage within the camp.

‌The RFU’s legal team are of the firm opinion that if this allegation were reversed, then there is no way Curry would have been permitted to play the following weekend. While this is uncharted territory for rugby, which has never before seen a race row unfold at the sharp end of its grandest tournament, England’s view has merit when set against the precedents in other sports.

‌When Michael Vaughan first found out in December 2020 that Azeem Rafiq had imputed the “too many of you lot” remark to him, it took 28 months before the Cricket Discipline Commission decided that, on the balance of probabilities, the former England captain had said no such thing. Accusations of racist conduct are not, by and large, thrown out in the space of a week.

‌England’s central grievance is that World Rugby did not advance the evidence to an independent disciplinary panel, thus denying Curry the chance to deliver his testimony in full. So far, the only material in the public domain is an 11-second recording of Curry asking referee Ben O’Keeffe: “Sir, if their hooker calls me a white c—, what do I do?”