South Africa's Eben Etzebeth handed 12-week ban for eye-gouge against Wales.
The Springbok second row made contact with the left eye of Alex Mann in their 73-0 win over Wales last Saturday, sparking a heated reaction from the crowd and Welsh officials.
French referee Luc Ramos showed him straight red card, citing intentional contact with the eyes as the reason for his dismissal. Etzebeth will now miss several matches for Sharks, who play in the United Rugby Championship and European Champions Cup.
The ban handed to Etzebeth was the maximum allowed by World Rugby's sanctions for eye-gouging - described as "intentional contact with the eyes". The disciplinary panel found that Etzebeth's actions were intentional but took mitigating factors into account, such as his previous clean record.
Etzebeth was not the first South African forward to be given a red card in four autumn matches this season. Franco Mostert and Lood de Jaeger have also had run-ins with officials in recent weeks.
The sanctions for eye-gouging can range from 12 weeks at the lower end to four years, while bans for "reckless contact with the eyes" can range from six weeks to four years.
The Springbok second row made contact with the left eye of Alex Mann in their 73-0 win over Wales last Saturday, sparking a heated reaction from the crowd and Welsh officials.
French referee Luc Ramos showed him straight red card, citing intentional contact with the eyes as the reason for his dismissal. Etzebeth will now miss several matches for Sharks, who play in the United Rugby Championship and European Champions Cup.
The ban handed to Etzebeth was the maximum allowed by World Rugby's sanctions for eye-gouging - described as "intentional contact with the eyes". The disciplinary panel found that Etzebeth's actions were intentional but took mitigating factors into account, such as his previous clean record.
Etzebeth was not the first South African forward to be given a red card in four autumn matches this season. Franco Mostert and Lood de Jaeger have also had run-ins with officials in recent weeks.
The sanctions for eye-gouging can range from 12 weeks at the lower end to four years, while bans for "reckless contact with the eyes" can range from six weeks to four years.
i feel so bad for etzebeth he didnt mean to do it and its just one mistake 
eye-gouging is so ugly and unfair to the other player alex mann 
at least he'll have some time to reflect on his actions 
... like, accidents happen right? But I guess when it comes to sports, safety is super important 
. So if someone does intentionally gouge your eye out, that's just wrong 
. 12 weeks seems a bit harsh tho, I mean, Etzebeth had no priors and all 
... maybe a warning or something wouldve been enough? 
Eye-gouging is just so nasty 
. 12 weeks is still a decent ban, though - maybe it'll make Etzebeth think twice before doing something like that again 
. I'm not saying he didn't know what he was doing, but... anyway. It's all part of the game, right? 
and it's not cool that he got 12 weeks suspended. On the other hand, I think Eben Etzebeth should've known better... those guys are big and strong players, you gotta know how to handle each other on the pitch 
. But eye-gouging is super serious, it's not just about physical harm, it's also about intent. I don't think 12 weeks is too harsh, considering Etzebeth has a clean record before this incident 
! i mean i get that etzebeth's actions were intentional but 12 weeks feels like an eternity 
especially for sharks fans who are already dealing with some tough losses this season 
. i feel bad for the player though, he did have a clean record before and it's not like he wanted to cause any harm 
. hope etzebeth can bounce back from this and get his form back 
.
Anywayz, gotta respect the ref's decision, even if it is a bit weird.
️. and honestly, who needs that kind of drama in rugby? 
eye-gouging = not cool, but 4 years is a bit harsh imo 
.
Like what's going on here? Eben Etzebeth gets a 12 week ban for eye-gouging and I'm still trying to process why that's even necessary 
And what's up with the disciplinary panel taking mitigating factors into account like he's got some kind of clean record 
It's just so frustrating when you see players getting away with some shady stuff and then get punished for it. I swear, it's all about finding that perfect balance between discipline and fairness 
. Now it seems like these new rules are all about safety first, which is great, but sometimes it feels like the players get in trouble for just trying to make a play 
️. It's all about balance, you know? The players need to be safe, but they also need to be able to play the game without getting fined or banned all the time 
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. Even back in my day, we used to talk about how rough rugby could be, so I guess this is a step in the right direction 
. I mean, a 12-week ban is already pretty harsh, especially considering that Etzebeth has been playing with such a clean record until now. It's like, one mistake and suddenly you're getting the max punishment? 
. It's like World Rugby is trying to send a strong message, but what's that really accomplishing? 
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. It's a tough call from the refs, but I guess it's all part of the game 
! He's gonna miss some big matches for Sharks and it's def not what he wanted after that sick win last week 
. I get it, it was a tough tackle, but 12 weeks is still pretty harsh, you know? He's had no other issues before, and the disciplinary panel was like "okay, we're gonna give him the max penalty". But at the same time, eye-gouge is just not cool, bro