Suspended for 12 weeks after putting his fingers in the eyes of Wales’ Alex Mann, Eben Etzebeth spoke out on social media on Wednesday. The South African made his mea culpa but tried to explain his act by breaking it down from several angles.

“I am not writing this message to prove that I am not guilty, I accept my fault“, Etzebeth wrote. “I made a mistake and I am ready to serve the suspension I deserve.” The South African lock, a former Toulon player known for his combativeness on the pitch, says he wants to learn the lessons from this incident and above all to send a clear signal to the younger generation.

“ I don’t want the youngsters who look up to the Springboks to think that it is acceptable to put your fingers in an opponent’s eyes, because it isn’t“.

“I would never have done that deliberately“

Etzebeth insists, on the other hand, that his act was not intentional but the product of a “heat of the moment” reaction following a scuffle with a Welsh player. According to him, “the altercation was practically over when the Welsh number 7 struck me with an open hand on the chin and the neck“. He goes on: “It was a mistake down to my reaction and to other factors. I would never have done that deliberately“.

“When I brought my open hand towards his shoulder, you can see two Welsh players change the dynamic of the whole scene, as well as one of my team-mates pulling the Welsh No 7 by the neck, taking him away from my hand and out of the path of my force“, Eben Etzebeth

He spells it out and goes further with one last slow-motion replay: “You can clearly see that my first point of contact is his shoulder with an open hand, exactly as he did, except that he caught me on the chin. Another detail to note: when he hit me, I was standing still, without much movement or other players involved. When I brought my open hand towards his shoulder, you can see two Welsh players change the dynamic of the whole scene, as well as one of my team-mates pulling the Welsh No 7 by the neck, taking him away from my hand and out of the path of my force“.

The two-time world champion says he is aware of how serious the images that circulated look, but calls for the incident to be put back in context: “The slow-motion replay didn’t show anything good, but I hope you now have a little more context“.

In the comments, the double world champion received a good number of messages of support from the community.