Springboks lock Eben Etzebeth handed long ban after red card for eye gouge

South Africa lock Eben Etzebeth has been handed a 12-week ban after gouging the eye of Wales flanker Alex Mann.

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 this week by the Six Nations, who operate the Quilter Nations Series, has now handed Etzebeth a long suspension that will rule him out of much of the remainder of the club campaign.

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The committee determined that contact with the eye was intentional and set a mid-range entry point of 18 weeks/matches. Due to Etzebeth’s relatively clean record and other mitigating factors, it was reduced by six weeks.

Etzebeth has featured twice for the Sharks, his club side, this season. The Durban-based side open their Investec 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 34-year-old second row is in line to return to action in April.

Etzebeth, who apologised to Mann after the match, acknowledged that he had committed an act of foul play but claimed that he had not deliberately targeted the eye of the Wales player. The lock suggested that he had received an “open palm to the face” from Mann and had attempted to push him away.

“At this time I felt I had to start defending myself otherwise I’m going to be rag dolled by [Mann],” Etzebeth said in his written statement. “It was at that time that I wanted to push him against the shoulder to try and get hold of him, so he doesn’t continue to have control of me and my jersey.

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“There were lots of other players involved. South African #20 was behind the Welsh#7 and some of the Welsh players were between us. I made contact first with his shoulder. My hand went into his face. It was very quick and the slow-motion showed that I made contact with his eye.

“I did not, at any stage, aim for his eyes or intend to make contact with his eye.”

The disciplinary panel accepted that there was some level of retaliation to Mann’s actions, while also considered a character reference submitted by New Zealand’s Ardie Savea as well as past precedent. They did not, however, give Etzebeth the full 50% discount due to mitigation, with one-third instead assessed due to his partial admission and character.

He is free to play again on 28 March 2026 — although the Sharks do not play after that date until 18 April, against the Ospreys in the URC.

South Africa’s next fixture is set to be against England in Johannesburg in early July 2026 on the first weekend of the inaugural Nations Championship.

Etzebeth’s red card was the third shown to a Springboks player in November, although Franco Mostert’s sending off against Italy was subsequently rescinded.