South African rugby star Eben Etzebeth has been banned for 12 weeks after he was caught poking Wales player Alex Mann in the eye during a match.
The 34-year-old, who has won two World Cups, came off the bench in South Africa’s huge 73–0 win in Cardiff. Near the end of the game, the referee sent him off with a red card after seeing him make contact with Mann’s eye.
This is the first red card of Etzebeth’s long international career — he has played 141 games for South Africa. Because of the ban, he will miss several matches for his club, the Sharks, in both the United Rugby Championship and the European Champions Cup until March 2026.
A disciplinary panel decided the eye-gouging was intentional. The usual punishment for this level is 18 weeks, but they reduced it to 12 weeks because Etzebeth has a clean record.
He is now the third South African forward this autumn to receive a red card, although one of the previous reds (Mostert’s) was later downgraded.
World Rugby rules say eye-gouging can lead to a ban anywhere from 12 weeks to four years, depending on how serious it is.
