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The South Africa lock has been banned from playing for 12 weeks but his punishment has sparked more debate amongst rugby fans
Former England international Brian Moore has weighed in on the Eben Etzebeth saga, questioning the South Africa lock’s claims and suggesting he “manipulated the system” to avoid a longer ban.
Last week, Etzebeth was banned from rugby for 12 weeks for an eye gouge on Alex Mann in the final moments of the Springboks’ 73-0 mauling of Wales in Cardiff. A disciplinary panel found that the Springboks veteran had made intentional contact with Mann’s eye, with a mid-range entry point of 18 weeks was appropriate.
However, factors such as Etzebeth’s previous record were then applied in mitigation, with his ban reduced to 12 weeks. While the 34-year-old will not play rugby again until March, he will only miss games for his club side Sharks, rather than the Springboks, and it has now been confirmed that he will take up a coaching role with the URC side as he serves his playing ban.
As a result, the suspension he received has sparked debate among rugby fans worldwide, with many believing it to be too light a punishment for what was found to be a deliberate and dangerous act, and others questioning how the length of the ban was decided.
Moore is one of those to have been left puzzled as despite having been on all sides of rugby’s disciplinary process, he admits he is “almost as confused as everybody else as to what level of sanction is applied to what offence” in the game today. In his column for the Telegraph, the former England hooker said he believes “the average rugby follower’s confidence is close to being lost,” as he called on World Rugby to provide clarity on how the disciplinary system works.
He added that there is a “widespread feeling” that the biggest teams and players are favoured in disciplinary proceedings with outcomes differing based on the legal representation afforded, which he says “should not be a factor but undoubtedly is”.
Turning his attention to Etzebeth, Moore cast doubt on the Springboks international’s claim that he feared being “rag-dolled” by Mann and simply “had to defend himself”, suggesting it was really another case of a player playing the system in order to get a reduced ban.
“[The ban] was handed down by a panel that included Leon Lloyd, a former professional player and a very bright man, and someone who knows how players and their representatives try to manipulate the system,” he wrote.
“Etzebeth’s claim was that he genuinely thought that he was about to be “rag-dolled” by Wales’ Alex Mann and therefore reacted as he did. I don’t believe that Etzebeth is afraid of anybody and in a set-to between those two players there would only be one winner, and and that man wouldn’t be wearing a red shirt.
“It is far more likely that Etzebeth was angry with the confrontation and determined to sort it out. This view of the offence bears out the finding that his act was intentional and Etzebeth was not acting in self-defence in any meaningful way. The vague notion of provocation was only marginally relevant, hence Etzebeth was not given the now customary discount of 50 per cent off his sentence.”
Discussing what the ban means in reality for Etzebeth, Moore added that while it was right for the Springboks’ disciplinary record to be factored in to his sanction, his suspension will ultimately not affect him playing for Rassie Erasmus’ side on the international stage.
Even then, however, the lock will be able to work in a temporary coaching role for his club side, with newly-departed Sharks coach John Plumtree revealing that he will be kept around to work with their junior side, having been deregistered from the senior Champions Cup side in the wake of his ban.
“Credit was rightly given for this being the first red card in Etzebeth’s 141-cap Test career, but the fact is that the ban will have no effect on his international career,” wrote Moore.
“What really does not sit right with most rugby fans is that Etzebeth has been able to move from being a Sharks’ player to one of their coaches whilst he is serving his ban. That sort of loophole is something that World Rugby should consider closing immediately.”
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