South Africa wing Makazole Mapimpi has been banned for three games after admitting he made contact “with the eye or eye area” of a Cardiff opponent during a United Rugby Championship (URC) game in January.
Mapimpi, a member of two World Cup winning squads, was involved in a scuffle with Cardiff hooker Efan Daniel during Sharks’ 42-22 win win at Cardiff Arms Park on 25 January.
He was not punished during the game, but was cited and at a disciplinary hearing Mapimpi admitted committing a red card offence.
Mapimpi will miss Sharks’ South African URC derbies at Bulls on Saturday, 15 February and back-to-back encounters against Lions that follow.
Disciplinary officials took into account a previous incident of a similar nature in settling on Mapimpi’s ban. He was banned for two weeks after being found guilty of making contact with the eye area of Bordeaux-Bègles scrum-half Maxime Lucu in a European Champions Cup game in January 2023.
