South Africa rugby legend faces a 12- WEEK ban after disgraceful eye gouge on Wales rival - but captain Siya Kolisi launches astonishing defence of teammate: 'I'm sure he didn't mean it'

South Africa director of rugby Rassie Erasmus admitted Eben Etzebeth deserved to be sent off for gouging Alex Mann at the end of his team’s 73-0 hammering of Wales. The Springboks dished out an 11-try humiliation at Principality Stadium.

But the game ended in controversy and for Etzebeth, shame. Both sides came to blows in the centre of the field.

In the scuffle, hulking lock Etzebeth used his thumb to make contact with the eyes of Wales flanker Mann in what was a disgraceful and totally needless act of violence for which he was justly sent off in the 79th minute. Etzebeth is now likely to face a long, long ban.

Asked what he made of Etzebeth’s actions by Daily Mail Sport, Erasmus said: ‘I don’t know what I can say that isn’t controversial.

‘It didn’t look good. It was a justified red card. It’s definitely not the way we’d have liked to have ended the game.

‘The optics weren’t great.’

South Africa captain Siya Kolisi defended Etzebeth. ‘I’m sure he didn’t mean to do that,’ Kolisi said. ‘If you go for an eye gouge you know what happens. He apologised to the guy (Mann) already.’ Etzebeth appeared off the bench to win his 141st cap in the 52nd minute when Erasmus brought on all of his eight replacements simultaneously.

His actions were unbefitting of his status as his country’s record caps holder, a double World Cup winner and one of international rugby’s leading lights. Mann was rightly furious with the actions of Etzebeth.

It was South Africa’s third red card of the November Tests.

The ban entry point for deliberate eye contact is 12 weeks with the maximum ban range extending all the way to four years.

Crucial to the length of Etzebeth’s ban will be whether it is deemed his eye contact with Mann was made accidentally, recklessly or intentionally. Each one of those three law categories has a different minimum ban entry point of 12, 18 and 24 weeks respectively.

Wales head coach Steve Tandy said of the incident: ‘I’m not going to comment in detail. You can see something.

‘If it is what it is, it’s not a great look.’