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Cape Town - Uzair Cassiem of the Scarlets has been banned for two weeks after being found guilty of an eye gouge against the Kings on Saturday.
Cassiem, who has eight Springbok Test caps to his name, came off the bench in his side's 54-14 win over the Port Elizabeth-based franchise, but was cited for an incident that took place in the 62nd minute of the contest.
The player was cited for an infringement of Law 9.12:
"A player must not physically or verbally abuse anyone. Physical abuse includes, but is not limited to, biting, punching, contact with the eye or eye area, striking with any part of the arm (including stiff-arm tackles), shoulder, head or knee(s), stamping, trampling, tripping or kicking.”
The Disciplinary Panel concluded that an act of foul play had occurred and merited a low-end entry point (four weeks) for contact with the eye/eye area. It deemed, however, that the action was reckless but not deliberate and applied full mitigation of 50 per cent.
As a result, Cassiem has been banned for a period of two weeks and is free to play from midnight on Sunday, October 14.
The player was reminded of his right to appeal.
