Cape Town - Springbok and Bath flank Francois Louw could be slapped with a lengthy ban if found guilty of foul play.
According to SkySports, Louw has been cited for allegedly making contact with the eye area of Marco Fuser during Bath's European Champions Cup win over Treviso at the weekend.
The incident is alleged to have occurred in the 77th minute of Bath's 23-0 victory and Louw has been ordered to attend an independent disciplinary hearing in London on Wednesday (watch the incident in the tweet below).
The low-end entry point for a player who admits, or is found guilty of eye gouging is four weeks, with the mid-range at eight weeks and top end 12 weeks plus.
A lengthy ban could see Louw miss out on the Springboks’ year-end tour to Europe.
This is not the first time Louw has been linked to alleged eye gouging while playing for Bath.
In May last year, he also appeared before a disciplinary hearing after an incident involving Courtney Lawes during Bath's defeat to Northampton, but on that occasion he was found not guilty.
The 32-year-old Louw joined the English club from the Stormers in 2011. He boasts 54 Tests caps for the Springboks since making his debut in 2010.
Francois Louw pretty reckless with hands in the face here.#ChampionsCup #BATvBEN pic.twitter.com/8nF5jr2w0Y
— The Oval Office (@theovaloffice10) October 14, 2017