Springboks lock Eben Etzebeth has described his eye-gouging incident against Wales back row Alex Mann as a mistake that was never intentional.
The two-time Rugby World Cup winner, 34, was shown a straight red card for the incident, which happened during South Africas match against Wales at Cardiff on 29 November.
An independent disciplinary panel found him guilty last week and handed him a 12-week ban. It was his first red card in 141 games for the Springboks.
