Storm Erupts After England's Victory Over Argentina
England's hard-fought victory against Argentina was overshadowed by a major controversy involving flanker Tom Curry, who found himself at the centre of serious allegations from Pumas coach Felipe Contepomi. The post-match celebrations turned sour as accusations of a reckless tackle and physical confrontation emerged, threatening to mar England's autumn clean sweep.
Contepomi's Explosive Allegations
Felipe Contepomi did not hold back in his criticism of Tom Curry, accusing the England forward of both a dangerous tackle that injured full-back Juan Cruz Mallía and subsequently shoving him in the tunnel after the match. The Argentina coach expressed his outrage at what he perceived as bullying behaviour from the 27-year-old flanker.
"How old is he? Twenty-seven? And strong. And I am 48 and he comes and just [shoves me]," Contepomi revealed. "I was standing there. He was coming in to say hi to one of our coaches, but we said no because we were upset. I said: 'Man, you broke his knee,' and he said: 'Fuck off,' and pushed me like that."
The Argentina coach suggested that Curry's actions demonstrated a lack of humility, stating: "Maybe that is the way he is, I don't know him. I am not happy with the situation, after breaking someone's knee I think you need to be at least humble and respectful enough to say: 'Sorry, I did something wrong,' but he did the opposite."
The Controversial Tackle That Sparked the Fury
The incident occurred in the 74th minute of the match, with Argentina desperately trying to overcome an 11-point deficit. Juan Cruz Mallía cleared the ball and was caught late by Curry, resulting in the full-back being forced off with what is suspected to be an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
With Argentina having used all their replacements, the team had to finish the match with only 14 players. Curry was penalised for the offence, but no further disciplinary action was taken by the officials, a decision that clearly frustrated the Argentine camp.
Contepomi described the tackle as "reckless" and expressed bewilderment that it wasn't properly reviewed. "We ended up playing with 14, they ended up with 15 and it was not even checked out. I cannot understand it," he stated.
Borthwick's Firm Defence
England coach Steve Borthwick was quick to defend his player's character, despite not witnessing the tunnel incident himself. "I'm aware there was an incident," Borthwick acknowledged. "I didn't see it. I was in the changing room. But anybody who has had any contact with Tom Curry knows his character is impeccable."
The England coach emphasised Curry's positive qualities, describing him as "a fantastic team man, a respectful guy" and insisting that "his character is unquestionable." This strong defence sets the stage for potential further discussions between the two camps as the controversy continues to develop.
Additional Technology Concerns
Contepomi also raised concerns about the inconsistent use of instrumented mouthguards (IMGs) during the match. He highlighted two instances where fly-half Tomás Albornoz was removed for head injury assessments after clapping while holding his gumshield.
However, the Argentina coach was particularly frustrated about the lack of action after Pablo Matera's withdrawal, which was triggered by the IMG technology. Contepomi felt that foul play had been involved and was disappointed that the incident wasn't reviewed by the television match official (TMO).
"One was 100% the fault of one of our players. But Matera had to come out because it was a head contact. And it wasn't checked," Contepomi explained. "So, where is the technology going? Or what do we use the technology for? I think that misuse or abuse is not great."
The controversy casts a shadow over what should have been a celebratory moment for England, raising questions about player conduct and officiating consistency that are likely to dominate discussions in the coming days.
