South Africa capped off a historic autumn tour with a dominant victory over Wales last night, but the contest in Cardiff did end on a sour note thanks to the actions of Eben Etzebeth.

The Springboks star would be sent off in the dying moments of the match as a result of what looked like a fairly clear eye-gouge on Welshman Alex Mann.

Completely unnecessary.

Brain-less from Eben Etzebeth. A long ban loading.#WALvRSA pic.twitter.com/VWFwTt9tAD

— Jared Wright (@jaredwright17) November 29, 2025

It was a fairly indefensible incident, with even Rassie Erasmus admitting that it was a ‘justified red card’.

In saying that, we now have been given some extra context on the Etzebeth’s actions.

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Bryan Habana Claims Shed Light On Eben Etzebeth Eye Gouge Incident

While South Africa often skirt the line between physical and unlawful play, it was surprising to see one of their most experienced players act in such a manner on this occasion.

It was certainly out of character for Eben Etzebeth to act in such a manner, with some believing he may have been retaliating to an incident earlier in the game.

In screenshots shared by Springboks legend Bryan Habana, it looked as though a Welsh hand had previously made contact with Etzebeth’s eye in the course of a ruck.

Yeah.. The footage needs to be reviewed as this looks very much like eye gouging on Eben as well https://t.co/HQuxrXbI3R pic.twitter.com/2TruDWAAIE

— Bryan Habana (@BryanHabana) November 30, 2025

While this is no way justifies the actions of the player that would follow, it does perhaps give an insight into Etzebeth’s frame of mind at the time. Regardless, the 34-year old is now likely to be subjected to a lengthy ban on the back of this incident.

This was a disappointing way to cap off South Africa’s northern hemisphere tour, with Erasmus’ side having been in imperious form in recent weeks. They would go undefeated, overcoming the likes of France, Ireland, and Italy before hammering Wales last night.

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