Springbok fans had expected to have to wait until Sunday to hear of the likely ban dished out to veteran lock Eben Etzebeth, but that appears not to be the case.
Etzebeth appeared before a World Rugby disciplinary panel on Tuesday this week following his alleged eye-gouge of Wales loose forward Alex Mann last Saturday at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
Failed to reach an agreement
The outcome of such hearings is generally announced 24 hours later – at most.
However, reports at the time suggested that the panel failed to reach agreement on what punishment the 34-year-old should face for his indiscretion.
There was also a belief that World Rugby didn’t want the news to overshadow its draw for Rugby World Cup 2027 which took place on Wednesday.
However, according to The Independent, Etzebeth has been handed a 12-week ban.
Etzebeth, the most-capped Springboks player in history, was shown a red card by referee Luc Ramos after the match officials reviewed footage of the incident in the final minutes of his side’s 73-0 win in Cardiff.
A disciplinary committee, convened by the Six Nations who operate the Quilter Nations Series, has now handed Etzebeth a suspension that will rule him out of much of the remainder of the Sharks’ URC and Champions Cup campaigns.
‘International’
The committee determined that contact with the eye was intentional and set a mid-range entry point of 18 weeks/matches.
However, due to Etzebeth’s relatively clean record and other mitigating factors, it was reduced by six weeks.
Etzebeth has featured twice for the Sharks this season.
The Durban-based side open their Champions Cup campaign against Antoine Dupont and Toulouse on Sunday.
They are currently 14th in the United Rugby Championship having won just a single game.
The news will come as some relief to Springbok fans, with the high end of an eye-gouge punishment listed as 208 weeks (four years).
Etzebeth is now in line to return to action in April, well before the Springboks’ opening Nations Championship Test in July.
What happened?
Eben Etzebeth was dismissed with two minutes remaining in the Test after clashing with Welsh flanker Alex Mann in a heated scuffle involving several players.
During a consultation with the TMO, French referee Luc Ramos ruled that Etzebeth had made clear contact with Mann’s left eye.
“You have a clear finger in the eyes, so for me, it’s a permanent red card,” Ramos said during the review.
World Rugby’s sanctions for eye-gouging range widely:
- Low-end offence: 4 weeks
- Mid-range: 8 weeks
- Top-end: 12 weeks
- Maximum for intentional contact: Up to 4 years
Mitigating factors – such as Etzebeth’s relatively good disciplinary record and reports that he apologised to Mann after the match – may reduce any sanction.
However, if the panel rules that the act was intentional, a substantial ban appears unavoidable.
The incident comes at a critical time for Etzebeth’s club, the Sharks, who kick off their Champions Cup campaign against Toulouse on Sunday, 7 December before hosting Saracens the following week.
Rassie Erasmus: “It didn’t look good”
Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus did not defend Etzebeth’s actions.
“It didn’t look good, I think it was a justified red card,” Erasmus admitted.
“How it happened and why it happened, and if he was provoked, I’m not sure. But that’s definitely not the way we would have liked to end the game.”
Context: Previous Eye-Contact Cases
The sport has seen several similar incidents in recent years:
- Makazole Mapimpi, Etzebeth’s Sharks and Springbok team-mate, received a three-match ban in January for making contact with the eye area of a Cardiff player. He was previously suspended for two weeks in 2023 for a similar offence.
- In April, Henco Venter (Glasgow Warriors) was banned for six weeks for making contact with Dan Cole’s eye area in a Champions Cup match.
- High-profile past cases include Chris Ashton (10-week ban in 2016) and Dylan Hartley, who received a six-month suspension in 2007.
Eben Etzebeth’s hearing will determine whether his latest disciplinary setback becomes one of the more severe sanctions in modern rugby.
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