England captain Jamie George has threatened to lead his team off the pitch against Argentina if there is a repeat of the racial abuse that they suffered in the country last year.
Background of the Incident
Both Asher Opoku-Fordjour and Chandler Cunningham-South were targeted by a small section of fans when warming up with their fellow replacements during the first half of England’s 22-17 victory in San Juan a year ago. Opoku-Fordjour is on the bench for this Saturday's Nations Championship match, with tensions high between the two countries following their FIFA World Cup semi-final on Wednesday.
A World Rugby investigation concluded that an act of racial discrimination had taken place and the Argentine Rugby Union has provided assurances that it was a one-off episode.
Plan for Potential Repeat
If something similar was to unfold on Saturday in Santiago del Estero, George insists that England would take matters into their own hands. “It’s something being considered,” the captain said. “If anything like that happened then it deserves the strongest of reactions. There is no place for that in the world and I feel incredibly strongly about that.”
“We’ve had discussions around ‘what if?’. I really hope – and I’m optimistic – that the Argentinian Rugby Union has taken it very seriously. At the same time we’ve got a plan B if that doesn’t happen.”
“The first thing we’d do is make the referee aware of what we’ve seen so it can be properly logged and all the protocols can go into play. What we do outside of that we’re still deciding.”
Consultation with Teammates
George says he has been consulting with members of England's squad with mixed heritage before deciding what action to take, including Opoku-Fordjour. “It’s something I will remember for the rest of my life when I heard what had happened – and it wasn’t directed at me,” said George, who was a late withdrawal from the starting XV in San Juan after being called up for the Lions tour to Australia but was present for the game.
“It was directed at my team-mates and I care about my team-mates more than anything.”
“I will continue to have conversations with a select group of players from different ethnic backgrounds and we will come up with a plan.”
“Asher’s obviously aware of what’s coming and he’s had conversations with a few of the other guys. I’m going to him because this isn’t just my call to make – the abuse wasn’t aimed at me.”
Anticipation of Hostile Atmosphere
With last November's clash also a tense encounter, George is expecting another lively battle this weekend. “It’s a big rivalry now,” George said. “We look at Argentina on the calendar whenever the fixtures come out and we know it will be a special occasion.”
“On the field we’re very aware that when we play Argentina they’re an incredibly proud nation and it’s going to be hostile.”
“They’re going to be desperate to win, especially on their own turf.”
