Springboks winger Makazole Mapimpi has been handed a significant three-game suspension after being found guilty of an eye gouging incident during the URC match between the Sharks and Cardiff.
The two-time Rugby World Cup winner admitted to the foul play and was deemed to have physically or verbally abused Cardiff hooker Efan Daniel in the Sharks’ 42-22 victory on January 25.
The incident, which took place off-the-ball, saw both players make contact with each other’s faces. The altercation stirred up a lot of reactions on social media, with many fans calling for Mapimpi to face punishment.
Following the citing, Mapimpi appeared before a disciplinary committee, which concluded that he was guilty of the offense. On Tuesday, the URC issued a statement confirming the three-game suspension for the Boks star.
The official statement read:
“The Disciplinary process related to Makazole Mapimpi citing in the BKT United Rugby Championship Round 10 game against Cardiff Rugby on Saturday, January 25 has resulted in a three-game suspension.
“The Citing Commissioner reported Hollywoodbets Sharks player No. 11 (Makazole Mapimpi) for an act of foul play in the 52nd minute under Law 9.12 – A player must not physically or verbally abuse anyone. This includes physical abuse such as biting, punching, eye contact, and other forms of violent behavior.”
The statement further explained that Mapimpi admitted to the foul play and accepted the red card offense, with a four-week suspension as the initial penalty. However, he received a two-week reduction for his apology and full cooperation during the disciplinary process. His previous citation for a similar incident in the 2022/2023 EPCR season was also taken into account, leading to an additional one-week sanction, resulting in the three-game suspension.
As a result, Mapimpi will miss upcoming matches against the Emirates Lions and Vodacom Bulls.
