Rassie Erasmus has reacted cautiously to Eben Etzebeth’s red card against Wales for eye-gouging.
Etzebeth left referee Luc Ramos no option but to issue a permanent red card in the final two minutes of the clash at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
The brainless moment from the experienced Springboks lock came when South Africa had already racked up an impressive 73-0 lead with Etzebeth himself grabbing the 11th and final try.
Rassie reacts
He and Wales flanker Alex Mann were involved in a scuffle that started at a ruck and continued to boil over, forcing Ramos to stop proceedings and issue both players with a warning that the next scuffle would result in a yellow card.
However, TMO Eric Gauzins notified the referee that a potential act of foul play had occurred that needed his review and it ultimately it was a clear-cut call as footage showed clearly that Etzebeth had gouged Mann.
Springboks captain Siya Kolisi defended his teammate after the game, stating that he believed it to ‘be an accident’, while Erasmus spoke far more frankly in the post-match press conference.
“I don’t know what I can say at this stage that won’t be controversial,” he began.
“It didn’t look good, and I thought it was a justified red card. How it happened and why it happened, I’m not sure.
“I don’t know if he was provoked, but that’s definitely not the way we want to play. The optics weren’t great.”
Completely unnecessary.
Brain-less from Eben Etzebeth. A long ban loading.#WALvRSA pic.twitter.com/VWFwTt9tAD
— Jared Wright (@jaredwright17) November 29, 2025
Wales legends’ weigh-in
Wales legends Sam Warburton and Dan Biggar echoed Kolisi’s sentiments in their review of the incident on TNT Sports’ coverage.
“Yeah, without a doubt,” Warburton said. “It’s one of those that is a non-negotiable. I kind of understand what Siya is saying, because Etzebeth is 34 years old, he’s got over 100 caps and he’s played the game a million times.
“He knows you can’t do that, so I don’t know if it was his intention. But, intention or not, any finger contact into the eye is straight red and nobody can argue that.”
Biggar added: “I agree with Sam. There’s no way he’s intentionally gone to do that, especially with the score as it is. There’s no real need to have any niggle in the game almost, but he’s probably going to find himself in a little bit of bother and having a few weeks on the sidelines.”
Erasmus added that he was still proud of the Springboks’ performance as the team completed another unbeaten Northern Hemisphere tour – backing up 2024’s effort.
The victory also marked the Springboks’ 13th out of 15 matches this season for a win record of 86.7%, and it also marked Wales’ biggest defeat at their famous home ground.
“I’m very proud of the way we played,” said Erasmus.
“We never underestimated Wales, regardless of where they were in the world rankings, and their team as well, in general.
“I think Asenathi (Ntlabakanye) made the last turnover, and we are so glad guys like him, Zach (Porthen), and many others who haven’t played for us in a while. Their hunger showed today, and it was important for us to fight until the end.”