World Rugby to review South Africa hooker Bongi Mbonambi's alleged racial slur

World Rugby officially announced that they are conducting an investigation into the accusations made against Springboks hooker Bongi Mbonambi during the recently concluded Rugby World Cup semi-final against England.

England flanker Tom Curry launched a complaint to referee Ben O'Keeffe alleging that Mbonambi called him a “white c**t” and now the governing body issued a statement that they will form a citing commission to look into the process.

If proved guilty, the 32-year-old could miss the World Cup final against New Zealand scheduled on Saturday.

“World Rugby takes allegations of discriminatory behaviour extremely seriously,” read the statement.

“We can confirm that we are formally reviewing the allegation made by England’s Tom Curry in relation to the use of discriminatory language during the England versus South Africa Rugby World Cup 2023 semi-final on Saturday.

“World Rugby will not be making further comment until the conclusion of the process.”

Meanwhile, South Africa Rugby revealed that they will be looking into the allegation with an independent review process.

"We are aware of the allegation, which we take very seriously, and are reviewing the available evidence," it said.

"We will engage with Bongi if anything is found to substantiate the claim."

The closely fought semi-final saw South Africa edge away with a 16-15 victory over England riding on a late penalty goal from Handre Pollard.