World Rugby has confirmed it will formally review the alleged use of a racial slur by South Africa hooker Bongi Mbonambi towards England’s Tom Curry.
If banned, Mbonambi could miss the final against New Zealand on Saturday.
World Rugby said it will take the allegation “extremely seriously”.
The governing body confirmed it will make no further comment on the incident until the conclusion of its review process.
England flanker Curry was asked after the match whether something untoward had been said to him by Mbonambi.
“Yeah,” he replied, before adding that “it does not need to be talked about”.
It appeared that Mbonambi refused to shake Curry’s hand as the acrimony between the two sides continued following the final whistle.
South Africa scrum coach Daan Human refused to comment on the specific incident at a media conference on Monday.
Asked about Mbonambi, Human said: “Bongi has been part of this group for the last six years. He’s a very, very important piece of our puzzle.
“He’s a very, very humble guy, is down to earth and is a hard worker. He’s a very calm guy, a well spoken guy.
“He’s a great character and is definitely a guy I would love to have in my team, in our team. That’s it. What I can say about him, he’s a great guy.”
Teams are given up to 36 hours after the culmination of matches to refer incidents to the citing commissioner.
Mbonambi, 32, is the only specialist hooker in the South Africa squad, with the team’s management having opted to replace the injured Malcolm Marx with fly-half Handre Pollard earlier in the tournament.
SA Rugby – the South African rugby union – had already started its own investigation into Curry’s claim.
“We are aware of the allegation, which we take very seriously, and are reviewing the available evidence,” it said.
“We will engage with Bongi if anything is found to substantiate the claim.”
At New Zealand’s media conference on Monday, All Blacks defence coach Scott McLeod said: “It is something World Rugby will deal with. If anything came of it, it would be a massive dent for them. He is a leader of their team.
“When Siya [Kolisi, South Africa captain] goes off, he becomes the captain so I imagine it would impact them.”
