Eben Etzebeth’s eye-gouge ban draws to a close as Springboks star to ease Sharks crisis and bolster title bid
Springboks lock Eben Etzebeth is closing in on the end of his 12-week ban after he was found guilty of intentionally eye-gouging Wales’ Alex Mann.
The incident occurred in South Africa’s final Test match of the 2025 international season, which the Springboks won 73-0, and the second rower has been sidelined ever since.
Eben Etzebeth’s return date
The Sharks have felt the brunt of the suspension as he has missed 11 of their matches since the start of December, which included four Investec Champions Cup fixtures and seven United Rugby Championship games.
This weekend’s meeting with Cardiff at Kings Park Stadium in Durban will be the 12th and final game of Etzebeth’s suspension, with the veteran lock free to play the side’s Challenge Cup round of 16 match against Connacht next week.
It will be a welcome return for head coach JP Pietersen and his charges ahead of what will be a challenging run to the end of the season.
The Sharks are ranked 11th overall on the URC standings and effectively need to win their remaining matches in the competition if they are to seal an unlikely place in the play-off stages of the tournament.
That may be crucial looking ahead to next season, which will be Pietersen’s first full campaign in charge, as it would likely secure their qualification for the Champions Cup.
The other route the Durbanites could take would be winning the Challenge Cup, a title they clinched in the 2023/24 season, defeating Gloucester in the final at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
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Etzebeth’s return will be a huge boost for the club that is enduring an injury crisis of sorts with several Springboks on the sidelines, including the likes of Aphelele Fassi, Bongi Mbonambi, Grant Williams and Siya Kolisi, who were all named amongst the players not considered for selection due to injury for the meeting against Cardiff.
Bryce Calvert, Ethan Bester, Francois Venter, Jaco Williams, Jurenzo Julius, Lili Bester, Manu Tshituka, Marvin Orie, Matt Romao, Ruan Dreyer, Simphiwe Matanzima, Siya Masuku and Tinotenda Mavesere also featured on the list, whilst Trevor Nyakane is also working his way back from a long-term spell on the sidelines.
If the Sharks are to overcome Connacht and progress to the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup on Good Friday, they will face one of Montpellier or Perpignan in the quarter-finals of the EPCR competition the following weekend.
The Durbanites are the only South African team left in the Challenge Cup as the Lions failed to reach the knockout stages, while the Stormers and Bulls will face RC Toulon and the Glasgow Warriors, respectively, in the Champions Cup last-16.
