RugbyThe Whistleblower

Owen Doyle: Referees need to take back responsibility to reduce plague of off-field reviews

Eben Etzebeth’s egregious eye-gouge is impossible to mitigate, even if it was retaliatory

South Africa's Eben Etzebeth clashes with Welsh players, following which he was shown a red card for an eye-gouge on Alex Mann. Photograph: Michael Steele/Getty Images
South Africa's Eben Etzebeth clashes with Welsh players, following which he was shown a red card for an eye-gouge on Alex Mann. Photograph: Michael Steele/Getty Images
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Owen Doyle
Mon Dec 01 2025 - 19:50 • 4 MIN READ

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