Nigel Owens blasts Etzebeth verdict, branding ban a “total, total mess”

Friday, 05 December 2025 at 19:41

byRugby Rucker

Former World Rugby referee Nigel Owens has blasted the Eben Etzebeth eye-gouge verdict, calling the Springbok lock “lucky” and slamming the disciplinary process as a “total, total mess”.

Etzebeth was sent off after making contact with the eye of Wales star Alex Mann in the closing moments of last week’s Test at the Principality Stadium. The incident drew widespread outrage, with many expecting a lengthy suspension for the Sharks enforcer.

A disciplinary panel met earlier this week, with hearings dragging on before the decision finally dropped on Thursday night: a 12-week ban for the double World Cup winner.

Owens delivered his verdict, stressing he doesn’t believe Etzebeth is a dirty player, but launched a scathing attack on the disciplinary system and the framework behind it — a theme he has repeatedly tackled in his WalesOnline columns.

He called the process a “total, total mess”.

Speaking on the On The Ball podcast, Owens said:
"The biggest issue rugby has had is in decisions on the field, which we saw in the autumn internationals.

"The biggest issue I have had is the inconsistencies with the disciplinary process where you get players getting two weeks, some getting six weeks, some getting 12 weeks, a player getting a ban then because he holds his hand up and says sorry they knock three weeks off.

"Then he goes to tackle school which is something he's been doing since eight years of age, then he gets another week off. It's a total, total mess, particularly if you want to change players' attitudes on the field and make the game as safe as you possibly can.

"You want a deterrent, if you get sent off and you get six weeks, then you get six weeks. You shouldn't be landing up with two weeks and all the nonsense that comes with that.

"A 12-week ban is a pretty hefty ban, considering the bans that are being handed out.

"There's been a lot of talk about provocation that something was done before and said before. If you forget all that and look at the incident itself, it's a pretty bad one.

"I've been refereeing games where there has been gougings, I remember reffing a game at Twickenham where (Stephen) Ferris got his hand bit by Dylan Hartley in the game.

"So these things have been going on for years. But when you see a player like that putting a thumb in the eye it's really, really dangerous.

"If you want to be really serious and send out a clear message then the ban needs to be strong.

"I think he's lucky to get 12 weeks. I think there were a lot of people who were expecting a little bit more. I think he'd only have to hold his hands up and accept well yeah, what I did was totally unacceptable. Forget what happened before, if something provoked that, that's irrelevant really, you have to deal with the actual incident itself.

"It's a pretty bad one, so 12 weeks would be the minimum he should be getting, so he's lucky he hasn't got double that or a bit more."

Owens’ message was clear: the act was serious, the ban could easily have been longer, and World Rugby’s disciplinary landscape remains — in his own words — a “total, total mess.”