Eben Etzebeth Joins Sharks Juniors as Temporary Coach During 12-Week Eye-Gouge Ban

• South Africa's most capped player, Eben Etzebeth handed a 12-week ban for eye-gouging, sidelining him from key Sharks fixtures
• The 34-year-old veteran Springbok has been offered a temporary coaching role during his extensive suspension
• JP Pietersen is set to step in as Sharks head coach as the club aims to regain momentum

Springboks veteran Eben Etzebeth has been banned for 12 weeks by the World Rugby Disciplinary Committee after being found guilty of an eye-gouging incident during the match between South Africa and Wales in November 2025.

The suspension means Etzebeth will miss several key fixtures for the Sharks in both the EPCR Champions Cup and the United Rugby Championship. He will be absent from the opening Champions Cup clash against Toulouse on 7 December 2025, followed by the home game against Saracens on 13 December.

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Springboks lock Eben Etzebeth deregistered by Sharks before Champions Cup kick-off

His ban extends into the URC, ruling him out of matches against the Bulls on 20 December and the Lions on 3 January 2026, before returning to the Champions Cup for the Sale Sharks fixture on 10 January and the clash with Clermont on 17 January.

Ahead of the verdict, the Sharks deregistered the most-capped Bok from the team to play the Champions Cup, allowing the club to register an additional player. Etzebeth is expected to be reinstated should the team reach the playoffs once his suspension concludes. He was not the only Springbok to be deregistered, with the injured Ox Nche also removed from the squad.

Etzebeth takes on a coaching role

Etzebeth will be sidelined until April 2026, which initially appeared to be a major career setback. However, the Sharks have found a new role for the lock during his lengthy ban. With head coach John Plumtree stepping down, a vacancy arose within the coaching staff at the URC-struggling club. This has led to Etzebeth taking on a temporary coaching role to assist the Sharks’ backroom team.

“He will be working with our junior players,” Plumtree explained.

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“He’ll also assist some of our senior squad members. He needs to stay connected. He’ll have a break, of course, especially with a young family, but we’ll involve him in tasks that will be of real benefit to the team.”

In the meantime, JP Pietersen will take charge of the Sharks for the foreseeable future as the club looks to turn a corner. The former Springbok wing previously coached the Currie Cup side and is being mentored by Plumtree during this transition. Neil Powell remains the Director of Rugby. The coaching shuffle comes at a crucial time for the club as they seek to stabilise their season.

Siya Kolisi steals the show as the Blitzboks win

Briefly News previously reported that the Blitzboks held on to claim a famous 19-14 victory against the All Blacks, sealing their place in the final against Argentina.

However, it wasn’t only the rugby that captured attention; Springboks captain Siya Kolisi stole plenty of spotlight from the sidelines. He went viral for his hysterical celebration at the end of the tense match.

Proofreading by Kelly Lippke, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.

Source: Briefly News