Eben Etzebeth, the South African second-row renowned for his contributions to two World Cup-winning teams, has been handed a 12-week suspension for committing an eye gouging offense during a match against Wales. The 34-year-old player made contact with the left eye of opponent Alex Mann using his thumb in the Springboks’ overwhelming 73-0 victory last Saturday.
Etzebeth, who entered the game as a second-half substitute, received a straight red card in the 79th minute from French referee Luc Ramos. This incident marks his first red card in an impressive 141 international appearances for South Africa. Consequently, he will be unavailable for his club, the Sharks, in both the United Rugby Championship and the European Champions Cup until late March 2026.
After deliberating for an additional 24 hours, an independent disciplinary panel convened on Tuesday, led by Christopher Quinlan KC, to review the incident. The panel concluded that the contact with Mann’s eye was intentional and concluded that an initial sanction of 18 weeks was fitting. However, taking into account Etzebeth’s clean disciplinary record, the penalty was ultimately reduced to 12 weeks.
This incident adds to a concerning trend for South African forwards, as Etzebeth is the third player to be shown a red card in just four matches this autumn, following Franco Mostert’s ejection against Italy and Lood de Jager’s against France. Notably, Mostert’s red card was later rescinded and reclassified as a yellow.
World Rugby’s regulations around eye-gouging are strict, categorizing it as “intentional contact with the eyes,” with penalties ranging from a minimum of 12 weeks to a maximum of four years. In cases of “reckless contact,” bans range from six weeks to four years, while “contact with the eye area” can lead to sanctions of four weeks to one year.
As the Rugby community grapples with the implications of such infractions, this incident serves as a stark reminder of the importance of player conduct and safety on the field.
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