Eben Etzebeth banned for 12 weeks for intentional eye gouge on Wales flanker Alex Mann in Quilter Nations Series

Eben Etzebeth has been banned for 12 weeks for an intentional eye-gouge on Wales flanker Alex Mann. The South Africa second row was sent off as the Springboks inflicted a record home defeat on Wales, beating them 73-0 in Cardiff, after his thumb entered the eye area of Mann in ugly scenes. Etzebeth was banned by a panel for 18 weeks, reduced to 12 due to his clean record since 2012.

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Eben Etzebeth has been banned for 12 weeks for an "intentional" eye-gouge on Wales flanker Alex Mann.

The South Africa second row was sent off in the 78th minute of the Springboks’ 73-0 win over Wales in Cardiff last Saturday, a record home defeat for Wales, after his thumb was seen to enter the eye area of Mann in an ugly scuffle at Principality Stadium.

Etzebeth, South Africa’s most-capped player with 141 appearances, was adjudged to have intentionally made contact with Mann’s eye by a panel, which has a minimum of an 18-week ban.

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But it was reduced to 12 due to the two-time World Cup winner having a blemish-free record since 2012 and admitting he had committed foul play at the first available opportunity.

It is the first red card in Etzebeth’s international career and rules him out of matches for club side Sharks until the end of March 2026.

He will be able to face England in South Africa’s next match in the inaugural Nations Cup in June.

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The independent disciplinary panel met on Tuesday and were due to give their verdict on Wednesday, but took an extra day to consider the punishment, such is the range of potential sanctions for an eye-gouge.

Led by Christopher Quinlan KC, World Rugby’s Judicial Panel chair, they came to the conclusion Etzebeth’s gouge was intentional rather than reckless.

The panel placed it in the 'mid-range' category, which has an entry point of an 18-week ban, with a maximum ban of four years.

Had they decided it was a tier below and was 'reckless' contact with the eyes, the range is six weeks to four years, while the lowest category, contact with the eye area, carries a ban ranging from four weeks to a one-year ban.

South Africa had their problems with discipline in the 2025 Quilter Nations Series, with Etzebeth’s red card their third in four matches, all of which went to second rows.

Franco Mostert was sent off in their 32-14 win over Italy, which was later downgraded to a yellow card by the disciplinary panel, and Lood de Jager also saw red in the 32-17 victory over France.

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Etzebeth’s ban is the first for eye gouging in an international match in over a decade, with Argentina second row Mariano Galarza banned for nine weeks after gouging Brodie Retallick’s eye during the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus, known for staunchly defending his players and the way the Springboks play the game, came out after the match and said "it did not look good."

He added: "I don't know what I can say that won't be controversial. It didn't look good and it was a justified red card.

"How it happened and why it happened, and if he was provoked, I am not sure, but it's definitely not the way that we would have liked to end the game. I don't think that the optics were great."

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