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The Pumas have made an official complaint after accusing England flanker Curry of forcefully pushing their coach Felipe Contepomi in the tunnel following an on-field scuffle
Luke BakerMonday 24 November 2025 16:02 GMTComments
open image in galleryTom Curry (left) was involved in an on-field fracas that is said to have spilled over into the tunnel (Action Images via Reuters)
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Argentina have made an official complaint and called for an investigation into the actions of England star Tom Curry, after accusing him of shoving their coach Felipe Contepomi in a post-match tunnel scuffle.
At the full-time whistle of England’s 27-23 victory over the Pumas at Allianz Stadium – which secured a perfect record in the Quilter Nations Series, an unbeaten home record in 2025 and took their winning streak to 11 matches – there was a fracas on the pitch between both sets of players.
It seemed to be sparked by Curry’s late hit on Argentina full-back Juan Cruz Mallia, which forced his withdrawal five minutes from time and while the England flanker was penalised, his tackle wasn’t reviewed by the television match official (TMO) to determine if any further punishment was required.
In a truly extraordinary post-match press conference, Pumas boss Contepomi then laid into Curry, describing him as a “bully” and furiously claiming he had “broken” the knee of Mallia with a “reckless” tackle. The Pumas have since confirmed that unfortunately Mallia has a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee following the hit.
In the remarkable press conference, Contepomi also accused the Englishman of forcefully shoving him in the tunnel after the on-field scrap spilled over the sidelines.
“It is probably part of [Curry’s] nature to bully people,” said Contepomi. “ He came off down the tunnel and he gave me a little smack. I’m 48 [years old].
“Not a smack – a push, a hit here on the chest. Maybe it is his nature, I don’t know. Those are the guys we are rewarding and praise, maybe that’s where we want rugby to go. I don’t know. How old is he? 27, strong and I am 48.”
open image in galleryTom Curry was involved in a post-match fracas (Action Images via Reuters)
open image in galleryAnd Argentina coach Felipe Contepomi was furious at the situation (Andrew Matthews/PA Wire)Expanding on the altercation, Contepomi added: “I was standing there and [Curry] was coming and wanted to say hi to one of our coaches, but we said no because we were upset.
“He was reckless and broke our player’s knee. I know it is rugby but if we don’t look after each other in rugby it could be dangerous. He was coming and said ‘mate you broke his knee’ and he said ‘f*** off’ and pushed me like that. 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 enough and respectful to say ‘sorry I did something wrong’ but he went the opposite. Maybe it is his way of being a bully. If we want bullies in this game, good on them.”
It is now being reported that Argentina have lodged an official complaint over the incident and are urging Six Nations Rugby, the governing body in charge of the autumn Test matches, to investigate the 27-year-old.
There is a 24-hour citing window for Six Nations Rugby to bring action against Curry and it can also begin disciplinary proceedings for the tunnel scuffle, should it so choose.
open image in galleryCurry tackled Juan Cruz Mallia, which ended with the Argentine full-back tearing his ACL (Getty Images)England boss Steve Borthwick was quick to defend Curry’s character in light of the allegations and insisted he did not want the post-match bad blood to detract from the game.
“Clearly I'm aware there was an incident,” Borthwick said. “I didn't see it, I wasn't there, I was in the changing room at the time. I'm aware of it.
“I wouldn't want that, in any instance, to be the centre of attention of what was a tough, hard Test match where two teams really went at it for the afternoon.
“I think that anybody who has had any contact with Tom Curry his character is impeccable. He's a fantastic team man, a very respectful guy. I think Tom Curry's character is unquestionable.”
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