It was quite scary, reading on Monday morning of the late citing of Eben Etzebeth. I quite like the way Gavin Rich put it:
After a marathon disciplinary hearing, it was confirmed by the Six Nations Disciplinary Committee that heard the Etzebeth case for alleged eye-gouging in last week’s 21-10 win over Scotland at Murrayfield, that the big lock was not guilty. They eventually saw what everyone else, with the exception of English citing commissioner, Alan Mansel, appeared to see, and they decreed that if there was any contact with the eye, it was an accident.
Of course if the player in question had been anyone other than the outsized and super-strong Etzebeth, it is unlikely that the incident would ever have been seen as sufficient to necessitate a hearing.
What made the citing appear more bizarre, was the indication from the alleged victim, Scotland flyhalf Greig Laidlaw, that not only had there not been any harm done, he also didn’t believe that there had been malicious intent. It was apparently the same from the Scotland management.
So why was there even a hearing?
We also regarded it as a conspiracy. Thank goodness, sanity prevailed.
Well done to Heyneke for sticking with last week’s team. I would have preferred one change on the bench – Franco for Flip van der Merwe. There has to be one in the side, not so? Hopefully the chosen one will not Flip his lid again, leaving us with 14 men against the strong English side.
Like last week, I really hope that Jaco Taute will get some game time at fullback, and possibly Elton Jantes at flyhalf. This of course, depends on the status of the game with 20 minutes to go. With Lambie getting the green light to play his natural game, this may just be the case.
I just have to share this quote. A colleague says it reminds of the run-up to an election in South Africa soon:
Shortcuts
During his 1956 presidential campaign, a woman called out to Adlai Stevenson: “Senator, you have the vote of every thinking person!”
Stevenson called back: “That’s not enough, madam, we need a majority!”
Lekker naweek, ou Grote.
