Following the confirmation that Eben Etzebeth has been banned for 12 matches, we review previous eye-gouging bans and see how the length of the sanction compares.

The Springboks second-row was handed down his sanction on Thursday after an independent panel determined that contact with the eye was intentional and worthy of a mid-range entry point of 18 weeks.

It was subsequently reduced down to 12 weeks as Etzebeth wasn’t afforded the full 50% mitigation.

So how does his sanction measure up to previous eye-gouging bans in the past 20 years?

David Attoub – 70-week ban

Back in 2009, Stade Francais prop David Attoub was slapped with a mammoth 70-week ban – the longest suspension since Richard Nones’ in 1999 (104 weeks) – after being found guilty of gouging Ulster’s Stephen Ferris during the Champions Cup tie.

Jeff Blackett was the judicial officer who delivered the verdict and issued the ban, accompanied by a scathing review of the incident.

“This is the worst act of contact with the eyes that I have had to deal with,” he said.

“It is a case of deliberate eye-gouging which caused significant distress and some injury to the victim. The sanction must be such to make other players stop and think before someone suffers a really serious eye injury.”

He also accused the Frenchman of lying when he said he was unaware of making contact with Ferris’ eyes, and Blackett also criticised Stade for making out that photographic evidence had been doctored.

Then-Stade Francais president Max Guazzini accused Blackett of anti-French bias following the ruling, with the judicial officer banning Julien Dupuy, Attoub’s teammate, for 24 weeks, which was reduced by one on appeal, for gouging Ferris in the same match.

Attoub unsuccessfully appealed the decision and ultimately missed two seasons of club rugby action for the Parisian club.

Dylan Hartley – 26-week ban

It’s fair to say that Dylan Hartley has one hell of a rapsheet, racking up 60 weeks’ worth of bans throughout his career, with the first of which comfortably the longest.

At the time, the Northampton Saints hooker was being primed for a place in England’s 2007 Rugby World Cup squad, but he was denied that opportunity through his own doing when he eye gouged James Haskell and Johnny O’Connor during the Premiership clash with London Wasps.

“Contact with an opponent’s eyes is a serious offence because of the vulnerability of the area and the risk of permanent injury,” said the aforementioned Blackett.

“It is often the result of an insidious act, one which is abhorred by players. Such offences carry a substantial punishment to protect players, deter others and remove culprits from the game to ensure that they learn the appropriate lesson.”

Julien Dupuy – 24-week ban

We already touched on Dupuy’s eye-gouging ban that occurred in the same game as Attoub.

The French scrum-half was another victim of the IRB’s (now World Rugby) crackdown on eye-gouging as he was banned for six months – also handed down by Blackett.

Dupuy was also found guilty of gouging Ferris, and Stade Francais’ president also hit out at that decision.

Stade’s president, Guazzini, hit out at Dupuy’s ban. “It’s excessive, very political and anti-French,” he said. “[European Rugby Cup] wanted to make an example of a symbolic player of Stade Français and of the French team which has never had a disciplinary problem. It’s not normal that a private organisation in Ireland prevents a club employee from working, from playing. It is we who pay him.”

Neil Best – 18-week ban

Haskell eye-gouged again in 2008, this time by Northampton Saints forward Neil Best.

Best admitted to illegally making contact with the eye or eye area of Haskell and was handed with an 18-game ban, ruling him out of action from October 2008 to January the following year.

Blackett once again oversaw the disciplinary panel, where Haskell gave evidence before the panel, confirming his written statement made after the game that Best “gratuitously commenced to gouge at (his)eye with increasing intensity.”

In their written judgement, the panel said, “The nature of the player’s action was grave. Placing fingers in and around opponents’ eyes constitutes one of the most serious offences in the game because of the risk of permanent career-ending damage.

“Contact was clearly painful and caused significant injury, continuing distress and some mental anguish to Haskell, who initially feared first for his sight and subsequently that he may not be able to play again.”

After imposing an 18-week ban, the panel added, “In reaching this conclusion, the panel has taken into consideration the fact that this offence was entirely out of character and will be a significant blemish on his (Best’s) record.

“We also took into account the damaging effect this will have on the player’s club and international playing career, and the risk that he will suffer financial loss.

“The panel is satisfied that this is commensurate and proportionate with the seriousness of the offence.”

Marius Țincu – 18-week ban

Also in 2008, Perpignan and Romanian hooker Marius Țincu was banned for 18 weeks for gouging Ospreys prop Paul James.

James responded to the incident by punching Tincu and was subsequently banned for one match.

Blackett was once again the chairman of the disciplinary committee who handed down the sanction despite Țincu’s club’s claims that there was no conclusive evidence.

Perpignan appealed the suspension but that was ultimately dismissed and led to the French club threatening to pull out of Europe’s premier club competition in protest.

They took their case to the LNR but failed to gain support. However, their appeal to the Comité National Olympique et Sportif Français (CNOSF), the supreme legal body for sport in France, was successful, and they ruled that Tincu should not be banned from playing in the domestic French league for an offence committed in a cross-border competition.

The IRB reviewed the facts and circumstances relating to the case, including the identification of the steps available, if any, to ensure all rugby sanctions are applied in France and throughout the world.

The game’s governing body subsequently put measures in place to ensure there is no repeat of Tincu’s sanction.

Mauro Bergamasco – 17-week ban

Italian flanker Mauro Bergamasco was suspended for 13 weeks after admitting eye-gouging Wales full-back Lee Byrne at the end of the 2008 Six Nations match at the Millennium Stadium.

Bergamasco sustained a shoulder injury during the match, and to add insult to injury, literally, his suspension only started the week after recovering from the setback.

”I apologise to the player in question, Lee Byrne, to my supporters and my fellow teammates, to my club Stade Francais, and the Italian Rugby Federation,” Bergamasco said on his website www.mbergamasco.it.

”The gesture I made, although serious, did not intend to cause any damage.

”I am aware that what happened does not reflect the values and principles of rugby, and sport in general, and I pledge to show my commitment on the field as soon as possible.”

Bergamasco further compounded his woes by attempting to appeal the decision, which led to a four-week increase in his suspension.

A Six Nations statement read: “Mauro Bergamasco, the Italy back row forward, has had his 13-week suspension increased to 17 weeks following his unsuccessful appeal against the original suspension.

“The three-man independent appeals committee rejected the player’s appeal to reduce the sanction to a lower-end offence from the mid-range originally applied.

“The committee found the offence merited a top-end entry point in the IRB list of sanctions.”

Blackett was on the appeal panel.

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Leonardo Ghiraldini – 15-week ban

Italy hooker Leonardo Ghiraldini acknowledged that he had made contact with the eye/eye area of the Irish prop Cian Healy but insisted that his actions had not been deliberate. Ghiraldini’s actions were missed by the officiating team during the Rugby World Cup match against Ireland but were caught on the TV broadcast, leading to his subsequent citing.

While the front-rower maintained that his actions were not deliberate, Independent Judicial Officer, Bruce Squire QC, decided otherwise and categorised the Italian’s offence as “top end offending, which has an entry point of 24 weeks suspension”.

Ghiraldini was therefore hit with a 15-week suspension as the Judicial Officer felt that the ban should be increased in order to act as a deterrent to others, noting that increased penalties had not been reflected in any significant reduction in offending of this kind”.

The Italians’ previously unblemished disciplinary record and a “range of other mitigating factors” were taken into account.

Josaia Raisuqe – 15-week ban

During the 2015/16 season, Stade Francais winger was red carded for gouging Munster’s CJ Stander during a Champions Cup fixture.

He was sent off by referee Nigel Owens during the match at Stade Jean Bouin and subsequently handed a 21-week ban, which was reduced by one third due to his “guilty plea, good conduct at the hearing, expression of remorse and youth and inexperience.”

Seru Rabeni – 14-week ban

Fellow Fijian Seru Rabeni was handed a 14-week ban for making illegal contact with the eyes of Saracens hooker Andi Kyriacou during the 2007/08 Premiership season.

Again, Blackett chaired the disciplinary panel that found Rabeni guilty of eye gouging and issued the ban, which was appealed, claiming that it was accidental. The RFU dismissed the appeal, which meant that he missed the remainder of the season.

Alan Quinlan – 12-week ban

Munster forward Alan Quinlan missed out on the 2009 British and Irish Lions after he was found guilty of eye-gouging during the Champions Cup clash against Leinster.

He was cited for gouging Leinster captain Leo Cullen and subsequently banned for 12 weeks. Quinlan was also unsuccessful in appealing his suspension.

Shane Jennings – 12-week ban

Later in 2009, Leinster’s Shane Jennings was also banned for 12 weeks for making contact with the eye of London Irish lock Nick Kennedy.

The disciplinary panel deemed that the act was not intentional and decided that the act was at the low end of the scale.

“Leinster Rugby are surprised and extremely disappointed with the ruling even though there was clear evidence from the opposition player that the act was not intentional,” a statement from the province read.

“The disciplinary committee appears to have found that Shane Jennings was careless with his actions, which is a shock to us. Shane has an impeccable record and a strong leadership role within the squad as our vice-captain and we will be appealing this decision.”

Jennings subsequently lost his appeal.

Juan Manuel Leguizamón – 12-week ban

Stade Francais and Argentina forward Juan Manuel Leguizamon was hit with an 80-day ban for making contact with the eye area of Toulouse’s Jean Bouilhou during a Top 14 meeting in August 2010.

It was ruled that the Pumas star was not guilty of gouging, but was found to have made contact with the eye area, thus prompting the panel to suspend him.

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Richie Rees – 12-week ban

Wales and Cardiff scrum-half Richie Rees was banned for 12 weeks by an independent European Rugby Cup disciplinary panel after he was found guilty of gouging Northampton’s Hartley.

He was cited for the incident and pleaded not guilty to the complaint on the basis that the contact was accidental.

An ERC statement read: “The judicial officer determined that Mr Rees was guilty of foul play in contravention of Law 10.4(m) in that he had made contact with the eye/eye area of Mr Hartley. The judicial officer found that the contact had been reckless and not intentional.

“The judicial officer found that the offending was at the low end of the level of seriousness for an offence of this type and, having taken into account all aggravating and mitigating factors, imposed a suspension of 12 weeks. Mr Rees is free to play again on 31 March 2011.”

Eben Etzebeth – 12-week ban

At the time of writing, it was not confirmed whether or not Eben Etzebeth would be appealing his 12-game ban after eye-gouging Wales flanker Alex Mann.

Like many others on this list, Etzebeth argued that he had accidentally eye-gouged the Welshman, but the disciplinary panel disagreed.

“Having considered the player’s and other evidence and reviewed the footage, and for the reasons set out in the full written decision, the Disciplinary Committee have determined that contact with the eye was intentional and a mid-range entry point of 18 weeks/matches was appropriate,” a statement read.

“Some mitigating factors, including the player’s previous record, were applied by the Committee, reducing the 18-week entry point by six weeks to 12 weeks/matches.”

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Chris Ashton – 10-week ban

Chris Ashton added eye-gouging to his rapsheet in 2016 when he was banned for 10 weeks after being found guilty of eye-gouging Ulster back Luke Marshall.

He pleaded not guilty to the disciplinary hearing, but the panel deemed that his actions warranted a red card and a low-entry point.

Schalk Burger – 8-week ban

One of the most high-profile eye-gouging incidents was that of Schalk Burger on Luke Fitzgerald during the 2009 British and Irish Lions series.

Burger received a yellow card for his actions during the match and was subsequently banned for eight weeks following a disciplinary hearing.

The Springbok’s suspension was the 10th ban for eye-gouging between 2007 and 2009, which prompted the IRB to launch a review of the disciplinary sanctions.

*Note: Some bans have been were issued in weeks while others were handed down in matches.

READ MORE: Schalk Burger: Eben Etzebeth ‘should have punched’ Alex Mann as Springboks legend concedes ‘I’m probably the last to talk’