England’s racism complaint upheld as Argentina face special measures

World Rugby have strongly condemned the sickening racist abuse directed at England’s black players during their nail-biting 22-17 2nd Test win over Argentina in San Juan on 12 July, while offering their full support to those affected.

England Rugby had lodged an official complaint, but after a thorough investigation, the Union Argentina de Rugby said it was not possible to identify the perpetrators.

The news came just hours after England women’s footballer Jess Carter revealed she had been the target of racist abuse on social media during Euro 2025, and the Lionesses said they would stop taking a knee before matches.

And it is not the first time an England player has said that he has been racially abused in Argentina. Former London Irish and Sale Sharks winger Marland Yarde claims he was targeted on his debut in Buenos Aires in June 2013.

In December 2020, Argentina captain Pablo Matera was stripped of his role and suspended and team-mates Guido Petti and Santiago Socino were banned after historical racist social media posts resurfaced.

The latest incident has brought a stinging response from World Rugby, the RFU and the Union Argentina de Rugby, who have made it clear that there is no room for racism in the sport or society.

“On 15 July, World Rugby received an official complaint from England Rugby regarding racist abuse directed at their players by spectators during the Argentina v England match in San Juan on 12 July,” World Rugby said in a statement.

“There is no place in rugby or society for discrimination, abuse or hate speech, and any complaint of discrimination is taken extremely seriously by World Rugby, and an immediate and thorough investigation was undertaken, involving witness statements, video analysis, and other lines of enquiry.

“While it is clear that an incident took place, we regret that the individuals responsible could not be identified.

“Working with World Rugby, the Union Argentina de Rugby has developed an action plan to enhance their operations, educate fans and better prevent such unacceptable incidents from occurring again.”

World Rugby Chair Brett Robinson added: “Rugby completely condemns discriminatory behaviour of any kind. We offer our full support to the players involved and want them to know that rugby stands with them in opposing racism.

“I applaud their courage in raising what must have been a highly distressing experience. The rugby family holds our values close to our heart, we will never compromise what we stand for.

“We use our global platform to say with one voice that racism, or any other kind of hate, has no place not just in rugby, but society as a whole. We expect the rugby family to set an example and model the values that underpin a sport where all are welcome.

“I would like to thank the Union Argentina de Rugby for their cooperation both in attempting to identify the individuals involved and for swiftly developing a comprehensive plan which we believe will make such incidents less likely in future.”

England Rugby CEO Bill Sweeney said: “There is absolutely no place for racism in our sport—or in any society—and these incidents must be condemned in the strongest possible terms.

“Every player, regardless of their background, has the right to represent their country with pride and dignity, free from discrimination and abuse. We are in close contact with the players affected and have offered them our full support.

“We’re pleased that World Rugby was able to act swiftly to investigate and thank UAR for their full cooperation and support throughout. We trust that they will take the necessary steps to prevent any recurrence of such unacceptable behaviour.”

For his part, Gabriel Travaglini, President of the Unión Argentina de Rugby, stated: “From the Unión Argentina de Rugby, we strongly condemn all acts of racism and stand in solidarity with the England Rugby players who felt aggrieved.

“Upon learning of the incidents, intense efforts were made to identify the small group of 5 or 7 individuals responsible within a crowd of over 20,000 spectators.

“Unfortunately, despite an exhaustive search, it was not possible to identify the perpetrators. We will continue to work collaboratively with World Rugby to educate the fans and eradicate any similar manifestations in the future, ensuring that our events are spaces of respect and inclusion for everyone.”