Argentina’s head coach, Felipe Contepomi, characterized Tom Curry as a “bully” and alleged that the England flanker pushed him during a heated confrontation in the tunnel following Sunday’s 27-23 defeat at Allianz Stadium.
The Pumas were enraged by Curry’s tackle on Juan Cruz Mallia in the 75th minute, resulting in Mallia leaving the field with a suspected ACL knee injury, forcing Argentina to play with 14 men for the remainder of the match.
Although Curry’s challenge led to a penalty, it was not reviewed by the television match official. Contepomi vented his frustration over the incident and a significant scuffle broke out between the teams at the final whistle, culminating in the confrontation between Contepomi and Curry.
Contepomi expressed, “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 continued, “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, stating, “Tom Curry’s character is impeccable. He’s a fantastic team man, a very respectful guy. His character is unquestionable.”
England secured their 11th victory by defeating Argentina, completing a successful month with a clean sweep of wins. Borthwick praised the team’s performance, highlighting the tough Test match against Argentina and expressing optimism about the team’s future development.