England's rugby union team is contemplating a drastic measure – walking off the pitch – if their players are subjected to racist abuse from Argentinian fans during an upcoming match. This potential response comes after two players, Asher Opoku-Fordjour and Chandler Cunningham-South, experienced discrimination while warming up for a Test match in Salta last year.
Captain Jamie George stated that the team would react in the strongest way possible if similar incidents occur again. "It is something being considered, yeah," George said when asked if a walk-off was a possibility. "There is no place for it. It is something that I will remember for the rest of my life when I heard that had happened - and it wasn't directed at me. It was directed at my team-mates and I care about my team-mates more than anything. So if anything like that happened then it deserves the strongest of reactions."
George plans to consult his teammates before the Test in Santiago del Estero to finalize their course of action. Reflecting on the previous incident, he admitted the team was unprepared. "What we didn’t do well last year...I genuinely have never experienced it in my life so I was unaware of what to do," George explained. "I also was unaware of it until we got in at half-time. When we reflect back on it 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 place."
The Rugby Football Union (RFU) filed a complaint with World Rugby following last year's incidents. However, an investigation was unable to identify the individuals responsible. George emphasized that the decision on how to respond will be a collective one, involving discussions with players like Asher Opoku-Fordjour and Manny Feyi-Waboso.
"This isn’t just my call to make. But I repeat: I really hope – and I am optimistic – that the Argentinian Rugby Union has taken that very seriously," George added. "I’m seriously hoping we don’t have to deal with that and that won’t become a part of the game."
The players allegedly targeted last year were Asher Opoku-Fordjour and Chandler Cunningham-South. 
