England legend claims Tom Curry ‘knows what he’s doing’ as Felipe Contepomi backlash rumbles on
England legend claims Tom Curry 'knows what he's doing' as Felipe Contepomi backlash rumbles on
England legend Andy Goode has created yet more debate online this week, claiming that Tom Curry “knew what he was doing” when he tackled Juan Cruz Mallia during England’s 27-23 victory over Argentina.
The former England fly-half shared a video on X (formerly Twitter) of the incident with the caption: “I can see why the Argentinians feel hard done by, Curry knows what he’s doing.”
The Curry incident
The incident in question led to some rather unsavoury scenes following the match, when the clearly riled-up Los Pumas players clashed with Curry and others in front of shocked supporters.
Once the altercation on-field filtered out, the one off-field started. Curry reportedly shoved Los Pumas head coach Felipe Contepomi in the chest, telling him to f*** off, after the 48-year-old had accused him of breaking his player’s leg.
Contepomi, clearly incensed by the issue, launched into a character assassination of Curry at the following press conference, labelling him a bully and questioning why we are allowing fans to look up to the England player.
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Public response
Former England stars Dan Cole and Ben Youngs had opposite reactions to Goode, claiming that Contepomi’s reaction was simply sour grapes, and that they “don’t get” the accusation of bullying.
“The whole game of rugby is basically built on bullying each other, because you’ve got to get momentum, win collisions,” said Youngs on his podcast For the Love of Rugby.
“You’ve basically got to beat up the opposition and like pound them to surrender. He caught someone; it’s really unlucky that the guy’s got injured. There was no malice. There’s no intention.”
Cole added: “Curry’s intentions weren’t to injure the bloke. It’s not illegal. It’s not dirty, you like them to know you’re there.”
I can see why the Argentinians feel hard done by, Curry knows what he’s doing pic.twitter.com/Wyj6V3FFlM
— Andy Goode (@AndyGoode10) November 23, 2025
The response on X has been mixed, with one side parting with Curry and the other side parting with Contepomi.
One fan critiqued the seriousness with which the incident is being treated by others, saying: “A borderline late tackle on a 10 by a flanker in rugby union, what is this game coming to?!”
Another suggested that referees should take more accountability, saying: “Not even a TMO check. Injured player forced to leave the field. That ref should be removed from big games.”
While others simply expressed their disapproval of the British and Irish Lions flanker: “Curry’s attitude was poor, I expect disciplinary action for such a bad action, his style of play is vehement, rugby does not deserve people like that.”
One thing is for sure: this debate will continue to rage on.
