Schalk Burger and Jean de Villiers believe Bok lock Eben Etzebeth would have been better off punching Wales flank Alex Mann during their late scuffle in Cardiff.
Etzebeth faces a heavy suspension after being shown a straight red card in the 78th minute of the Springboks’ 73-0 demolition of Wales.
The TMO found clear contact between the lock’s thumb and Mann’s eye area during a tussle – an act that carries one of rugby’s harshest entry-level bans.
Bok captain Siya Kolisi insisted afterwards that Etzebeth had no intent to gouge, while coach Rassie Erasmus admitted the “optics weren’t good” and agreed the red card was inevitable.
On The Verdict podcast, Burger – who served an eight-week suspension for an eye-gouge at the start of the second Test against the British & Irish Lions at Loftus in 2009 – said Etzebeth had put himself in an unwinnable position.
“It’s a straight red,” the former Bok flank said. “We don’t know what happened before between him and Mann, but once your hand is in the face area, something can go wrong. If they freeze-frame it – you’re in trouble from the get-go.”
WATCH: Was Eben eye-gouged first?
He added that the lock’s lack of restraint was costly given the Sharks’ looming Investec Champions Cup campaign.
“Eben is a big loss for the Sharks. They need players like him now.”
De Villiers agreed that something must have provoked Etzebeth, but stressed that the Bok enforcer had no room for error.
“You see an elbow on Eben before that. But you just can’t get your hand near the eyes. Even if it’s not on purpose, you run that risk,” said the ex-Bok captain.
Former Bok hooker Hanyani Shimange said he wanted clarity on “what actually triggered it”, but conceded the officials had no choice once the footage was shown.
EX-IRISH REF: No eye for an eye for Eben
“He should have just punched him,” De Villiers quipped, referring to the fact that bans for striking start as low as two weeks.
Burger agreed: “A punch would’ve been better. The entry level for an eye gouge is huge.”
Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images
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