South Africa's record-breaking 73-0 victory over Wales in Cardiff has been severely tarnished by a late red card shown to veteran lock Eben Etzebeth for an apparent eye gouge, leaving the World Cup winner facing a lengthy ban.
Record Win Overshadowed by Ugly Incident
The world champion Springboks delivered a devastating performance at the Principality Stadium, running in eleven tries to secure the heaviest home defeat in Welsh rugby history. However, the emphatic victory was marred in the final minutes when Eben Etzebeth was shown a straight red card after his thumb made contact with the eye of Wales flanker Alex Mann.
The incident occurred during a scuffle with just two minutes remaining, long after the result was beyond doubt. After consulting with television match official Eric Gauzins, referee Luc Ramos deemed the contact to be intentional and produced the permanent red card.
Potential Sanctions and Disciplinary History
Under World Rugby's sanctioning guidelines, Etzebeth now faces a substantial suspension. The low-end entry point for intentional contact with the eye is 12 weeks, with the top-end sanction reaching 24 weeks or more. While the maximum possible ban is 208 weeks (four years), this is considered highly unlikely for this offence.
This dismissal continues a worrying trend for South African locks during the November internationals. Etzebeth becomes the third Springboks second row to receive a red card this month, following Lood de Jager's dismissal against France and Franco Mostert's sending off versus Italy, which was later overturned.
Etzebeth, winning his 141st cap for South Africa, had been introduced as part of a mass substitution in the 52nd minute and had even scored one of his team's eleven tries before the late dismissal.
Post-Match Reaction and Consequences
Springboks captain Siya Kolisi expressed hope that the incident wouldn't define the match, telling TNT Sports: "I'm sure he didn't mean to do that on purpose and I don't want that to be the highlight of the game."
South Africa director of rugby Rassie Erasmus offered a more cautious assessment in his post-match press conference, stating: "I don't know what I can say that won't be controversial. It didn't look good. It justified the red card."
The timing presents immediate concerns for Etzebeth's club side, the Sharks, who begin their Investec Champions Cup campaign in Toulouse next Sunday. For the Springboks, their next international fixture isn't until the opening weekend of the new Nations Championship next year, when they host England in Johannesburg on Saturday, 4 July 2026.
