'One of the vilest acts' - Springbok in spotlight over URC incident

Springboks wing Makazole Mapimpi has been accused of eye gouging during the Sharks’ 42-22 victory over Cardiff in the United Rugby Championship fixture.

The 34-year-old was in a fiery mood at the Arms Park as the Sharks ended their run of back-to-back Champions Cup losses.

Springbok hooker Bongi Mbonambi scored two tries, while Jurenzo Julius, Makazole Mapimpi, Francois Venter, and Yaw Penxe also crossed the line. Cardiff trailed 21-10 at halftime and fought back to 28-22 by the 58th minute, but late tries sealed a bonus-point win for the Durban side.

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The match itself was a heated affair. Earlier, Mapimpi had celebrated in front of two Cardiff players after scoring a try, drawing a negative reaction from the Welsh side.

The win aside, footage of an incident involving Mapimpi and Cardiff’s replacement hooker Efan Daniel has drawn significant attention.

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The clash occurred after referee Mike Adamson had stopped play for a penalty. Daniel played on and attempted a chip kick over Mapimpi, who tackled the hooker. The pair grappled and Daniel pulled Mapimpi’s jersey over his head, leaving him shirtless.

It was during this altercation that Mapimpi was accused of making contact with Daniel’s eye. The moment, captured on video, has circulated widely on social media.

Mapimpi making contact with the eyes is fine now is it? pic.twitter.com/XKiZ3sg1ub

— SmallClone (@Smallclone_) January 25, 2025

Reaction to the footage has been mixed. One commenter wrote “Throw the book at him – harshest punishment possible. Gouging is an absolute no-go for me” while another added “Hope the citing commissioner is paying attention. One of the vilest acts of thuggery you can commit.”

Others defended Mapimpi. “Where? He’s holding the jersey – impossible” wrote one rugby fan, while another social media account suggested “Honestly simmer down, not like he’s scraping the dude’s eyes out and if it was the other way around same thing applies.”

Sharks head coach John Plumtree was happy to come away from the Welsh capital with a bonus-point win.

“I am pleased with the result,” Plumtree said after the win. “I thought Cardiff were excellent and played some good attacking rugby and stressed our defence on several occasions.

“Losing Manu Tshituka and Nick Hatton early in the game put a lot of stress on our forwards, but I thought Deon Slabbert coming off the bench, having only been with us for a few days did well. Jason Jenkins adjusted well in the lineouts and getting the job done with losing two forwards early in the game was pleasing.”

“We had to strike back after they scored and keep that scoreboard pressure on them, through some good moments that we had.

“The critical thing in the last 15 minutes, was when we put the impact players on and how they closed the game out. I thought the front row was excellent and Lukhanyo Am, Swys [Francois Venter] and Jaden Hendrikse.

“I loved the way we closed out the game with the two late tries, but it could have gone either way. As I said, I thought Cardiff was excellent, they had a full house at the stadium and had great support.

“It was a good away win for us. We always hoped to get them over here and so were pleased with the win.”