South Africa forward Eben Etzebeth has broken his silence in the wake of his 12-week suspension for an eye gouge against Wales, saying he never intended to hurt Alex Mann, or even go near his face with his hand.
Etzebeth, who has nearly 150 caps for the Springboks and recorded his first-ever Test red card for the incident, posted a series of slides on Instagram, detailing his version of events, and saying that while he took responsibility for the situation, there was ‘context’.
The lock, who was sent off when the Boks were 73-0 up against Wales in their final match of the year, wrote: “I’ve been quiet, but now that my hearing is done I think I owe everyone an explanation.
“First of all, this is not a post to show that I was not guilty, I accept guilt. I made a mistake and I’m willing to serve a suspension which I deserve.
“I don’t want young kids who look up to the Springboks to think that it’s OK to eye gouge someone, because it’s not, but unfortunately mistakes happen and I made a big one for which I’m sorry.”
Etzebeth then goes on to explain, via a series of video clips, what happened, from his perspective. He pointed out that he wasn’t aiming for Mann’s face, and was reacting to what he saw as a hand to his own face and neck.
He concludes: “So why did I post this? To try and show people how everything happened and that it was never intentional. I would never do something like this on purpose, I know what the consequences will be after playing rugby for a few years.
“Thanks to everyone that stood by me and thought the best of me. I’m sorry for letting you and the game down. That was my first red card since I started playing. I want it to be my last.
To the people that were angry and upset with my actions, I understand – because it didn’t look good on the slow motion replay and hopefully you’ve got a bit more context now.”
Etzebeth will be out of action till the end of March next year, missing much of the Sharks’ URC and European Champions Cup season.
