Argentina’s head coach, Felipe Contepomi, labeled Tom Curry as a “bully” and accused him of pushing during a heated altercation in the tunnel following the 27-23 defeat of Argentina by England at Allianz Stadium on Sunday.
The Pumas were outraged by Curry’s late tackle on Juan Cruz Mallia, resulting in Mallia leaving the field with a suspected ACL knee injury and leaving Argentina with 14 men for the remainder of the match.
Despite Curry’s challenge leading to a penalty, it was not reviewed by the television match official. Contepomi left the coach’s box to protest the tackle, and a significant scuffle broke out between the teams at the final whistle, culminating in the confrontation between Contepomi and Curry.
Contepomi criticized Curry for his behavior, stating, “Curry, let me say, it is probably part of his nature to bully people. He came into the tunnel and he gave me a little smack. He is 27, strong. I am 48.”
He added, “After breaking someone’s knee you need to be at least humble enough and respectful to say sorry I did something wrong. But he went the opposite.”
England’s head coach, Steve Borthwick, defended Curry’s character, emphasizing his respectfulness and team spirit. Borthwick mentioned that he was unaware of the details of the tunnel incident but believed it should not overshadow the tough Test match between the two teams.
England secured their 11th victory by defeating Argentina, completing a successful month with a clean sweep of wins. Borthwick praised his team’s performance, noting the tough challenge posed by Argentina and expressing optimism about the team’s future development.
