Jamie George threatens to walk England off pitch if racial abuse is repeated in Argentina

Jamie George has warned that England will leave the pitch if racial abuse is directed at his players during Saturday’s Test against Argentina at the Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades, a year after a World Rugby investigation confirmed that Asher Opoku-Fordjour and Chandler Cunningham-South were racially abused by a small group of fans during England’s 22-17 victory in San Juan.

The England captain said the squad has already discussed contingency plans and is prepared to act decisively. “If anything like that happened then it deserves the strongest of reactions,” George said. “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.”

George outlined that England’s first step would be to inform the referee so that formal protocols could be triggered, while stressing that further action — up to and including leaving the field — remains under consideration. He added that he is consulting directly with squad members from mixed heritage backgrounds, including Opoku-Fordjour, who is named on the bench for Saturday’s match, before finalising any response.

“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 present in San Juan despite being a late withdrawal from the starting XV after being called up for the Lions tour to Australia. “It was directed at my team-mates and I care about my team-mates more than anything.”

The Argentine Rugby Union has provided assurances to World Rugby that the incident was isolated, but George made clear that England are not relying solely on those guarantees. “I’m going to Asher because this isn’t just my call to make — the abuse wasn’t aimed at me,” he said.

England have won all five of their meetings with Argentina under head coach Steve Borthwick, including a November clash at Allianz Stadium that was overshadowed by a tunnel altercation involving flanker Tom Curry and Pumas head coach Felipe Contepomi. George acknowledged the rivalry has grown in intensity, describing fixtures against Argentina as “a special occasion” on the international calendar.