Eben Etzebeth: Will miss All Blacks clash
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South Africa lock Eben Etzebeth has been banned for two weeks for head-butting Australian counterpart Nathan Sharpe in Saturday's Rugby Championship clash.
Etzebeth was found guilty at a SANZAR hearing after he thrust his head into the face of the Wallabies veteran in the 25th minute of Australia's come-from-behind win in Perth.
The 20-year-old will miss their encounter with New Zealand but can return for home games against Australia and the All Blacks after his ban ends on September 24.
Etzebeth has been one of the Springboks' best forwards in what has been a poor first Rugby Championship under new coach Heyneke Meyer.
They battled to a draw with newcomer Argentina, then slipped to a fifth straight loss to Australia on Saturday.
In injury news, team doctor Craig Roberts said that wing Bryan Habana should be fit for this weekend's clash with the All Blacks in Dunedin after sustaining an ankle injury against Australia, but props Jannie du Plessis (hamstring) and Pat Cilliers (elbow) are in doubt.
Meyer said that front-row replacements are likely to be summoned from South Africa.
"We are concerned but we will give the guys until tomorrow before we make a final call," he said.
"We do have Dean Greyling on the bench but he is a loosehead. It is also difficult now just to call someone in who might not play. We need to make the right call there."
Comments
Sharkies says...
@ APV1 whinging your national sport and by the way I never said he should go unpunished, its my opinion that 2 weeks was excessive if he didnt make contact and it seems dangerous tackles that could render a player in a wheelchair for the rest of his life go unnoticed and the player (who confirms it) is a hero. That doesnt even compare to a pisswilly contact ,no contact headbutt.
Posted 00:19 15th September 2012
APV1 says...
@ Sharkies - no whinging, just a difference of opinion.
Posted 17:00 14th September 2012
Sharkies says...
@ APV1 and I wont stoop to yours, looks to me, just like NS all big mouth until someone turns around and takes you up on it, then it's whinge whinge whinge.
Posted 02:37 14th September 2012
Kiwidiver says...
ZING!! Some scything reparte on this blog.
It's a shame that such a dynamic young player has to sit out the next two, but yes there has to be consequences. For the record I think the two locks involved are the best two in the game right now - that's hard for me to admit as I am a loyal Kiwi and staunch AB fan (sorry Brodie, sorry Sam, Ali you're a Tool).
Not time to hit the panic alarm yet for Yarp Rugga - let's not forget that the Baby Boks won their world cup this year. Some truly great talent coming through.
Posted 22:23 12th September 2012
APV1 says...
@ Sharkies - let's just agree to disagree, eh? You seem to be getting unnecessarily stressed by this, so I'll leave you to it. And I shan't rise to your baiting, unlike EE did to NS's...
Posted 18:23 12th September 2012
Sharkies says...
APV1, clearly reading is not one of your strong points.... What I said was: ...So what you saying is even if you don't make contact you should still get penalized... For two weeks boet you should have planted him (not headbutted). Perhaps you should take your own advice and re-watch the footage, because then you would see that NS didn't even flinch when EE "supposedly" made contact, yet the two deliberate high tackles go unoticed and Cooper can then go on to make this comment in the papers: "I can't explain it. I was a bit lucky. I committed to one and ended up making another. I was lucky I didn't get done for two high shots in the one tackle." Yes, EE does bump NS only after he saw him pushing his team players, why should he bow down to an older player who is showing no respect himself, and where do you get off verbally bashing the saffas and the boks, go look at your hooligans and England's track record. As far as being called a virus... you know the old adage: if the cap fits... yet it is alright for you to call me a "thug"? That's rich!! Indeed, I do hope our paths never cross, you clearly only seem to see the Boks as always doing wrong, which proves you have no idea of, I quote: Teamwork, Respect, Enjoyment, Discipline, Sportsmanship... because if you did you would want all teams to be treated equally and fairly. I take it this is sour grapes because of your pathetic display of Rugby in South Africa? Furthermore, this site is here for everyone to offer their opinion, without having the likes of you commenting on what others have said - perhaps you should have a good look in the mirror and stop being so opinionated... it seems to be an English trend.
Posted 12:21 12th September 2012
APV1 says...
@ Sharkies - Sharpe was obviously trying to get a rise out of him by winding him up. And it clearly worked. But a ref isn't going to punish a couple of shoves and a heated verbal exchange, when one of those involved then attempts to head-butt the other. I've seen the footage and read the report. It looks to me like he made contact and the Citing report agrees:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xU2qXMJXIk
0:18, 0:44 & 1:19
Sharpe was indeed pushing and shoving EE, because EE had run in and bumped him. NS pushed back and the handbags started. That's no reason to headbutt someone. The fact that you think headbutting on a rugby field is acceptable really does bother me and I hope our paths never cross. You may call me "Mr high and mighty", but I prefer to play rugby with good blokes, not thugs.
But whether he made contact or not, isn't the point. He tried to headbutt him and you seem to think that's acceptable. I don't.
You also say, "...there are ignorant Saffas namely YOU!!" I'm not a Saffa, I'm British. I know many Saffas who are great people and respect many of the Saffa posters on here. But, unfortunately, there are a minority who are just trolls and seem to forget the principles of Rugby:
Teamwork.
Respect.
Enjoyment.
Discipline.
Sportsmanship.
And calling me a virus is just purile and unnecessary.
Posted 10:40 12th September 2012
bigb6969 says...
If he had eye gouged McCaw 3 times, or actually head butted so it hurt and followed it by an eye gouge and he would have got no time at all
Posted 10:23 12th September 2012
jonesy2 says...
SA rugby will hit a new low if they are bringing back bakkies. he's had his career. this is a huge concern for SA rugby and and sign of not just a lack of depth but that depth does not exist at all. this weekend could get very ugly for the bokke. i hope for the games sake and the pride of SA that it doesnt... get too ugly.
Posted 06:32 12th September 2012
theGadflY says...
when it comes to deliberately hurting peopl Tana Umaga and McCaw are the prime examples.the Boks r bettr than those 2
Posted 04:19 12th September 2012
Sharkies says...
"There's been a few jokes about it, two-for-one special," Ashley-Cooper told The Australian following the Wallabies' first victory in this year's competition. "I can't explain it. I was a bit lucky. I committed to one and ended up making another. I was lucky I didn't get done for two high shots in the one tackle."
Posted 01:17 12th September 2012
Sharkies says...
Oh APV1 having looked at it again on you tube, Sharpe was pushing and shoving a SA player then shoved Etzebeth, who retaliated. Where is his punishment???
Posted 00:50 12th September 2012
Sharkies says...
@ APV1 being at the game it didn't look like he made contact, and by the way they played they are clowns, and there are ignorant Saffas namely YOU!! Mr high and mighty. So what you saying is even if you don't make contact you should still get penalizedso therefore where is the citation for the high tackle on JDV. Get Real A... Papilloma. Virus.1
Posted 00:29 12th September 2012
APV1 says...
@ safehands - Hear! Hear! I'm not after tutus, but deliberate hurting of a rugby player is not on.
@ Sharkies - to suggest that, "For two weeks boet you should have planted him." just shows what an ignoramus you are. He did make contact - see the report, if you can actually read. All you've managed to do is reaffirm the perception that some Saffas are ignorant clowns, who want the Boks to go out and deliberately try to hurt people. I do hope you move onto another sport, as rugby is played with respect for your opponent, not a desire to hurt them.
That aside, it looks like he's not available anyway:
http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,3551_8071770,00.html
Posted 15:31 11th September 2012
three6three6 says...
Etzebeth is extremely unlucky..... he should not have been sighted! If he had been sent off, then the penalty would have simply been the sending off..... this is a farce!
The other farce is playing Bakkies - he is well over the hill.... Has he been playing to an international standard? I doubt whether he has. There is something rotten with Bokke rugby at the moment.... from challenging to become the top team, they are now floundering around drawing with Los Pumas and losing to the Wallabies. What is going on? The Bokke are much better than this!
Posted 13:35 11th September 2012
Phill_Moore says...
ABs are scared of the Boks's physicality... and then you guys wake up.
Please watch Dan Carter (a n. 10, a first five eights!) clean-up and outruck a Boks Prop (!) to set up Daggs try... who then dances around half the bok team. Richie then feels that, since 6 or 7 Boks fail, somebody has to tackle Dagg!
All of that in South Africa, after a certain Bakkies had been banned for 9 weeks for head-butting Jimmy Cowan... on a game NZ also won... LOL! Love banter...
enjoy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kxiz9-dboV0&feature=related
Posted 13:29 11th September 2012
Sharkies says...
I don't understand the fact that you didn't even make contact and its two weeks suspension but you can push and shove and thats not a penalisable offence and you acutally making physical contact?? For two weeks boet you should have planted him. What about the high tackle on JDV.. is it different rules for everyone.... really rugby is wearing me down, I think I will follow jukskei from now on surely the we can win that.
Posted 13:08 11th September 2012
porridge_time says...
The very thought of Bakkies Botha trying to keep up with the pace of the AB's under the roof in Dunedin conjours up headlines of 'Botha Cited for foul play'.
Posted 10:03 11th September 2012
2eyedkiwi says...
Welcome Bakkies - we've missed you mate!
Posted 09:19 11th September 2012
Ferdie says...
NZ 'scared' of Botha?
Make me laugh some more, having seen him lumbering around in Top 14 rugby he's slower now than 2011; the pace of the current NZ game, flawed as it may be, will be so much faster this weekend in a covered stadium. I'd suggest him as an impact player - 20 minutes, three penalties and a yellow should be about right.
Posted 07:38 11th September 2012