One of the major talking points from the Sharks’ recent game against Cardiff in the URC was an incident between Springbok star Makazole Mapimpi and opposition hooker Efan Daniel.
During an off-the-ball altercation between the two players, both appeared to make contact with each other’s face at some point, but a lot of social media reaction seemed to suggest Mapimpi was arguably most at fault for a possible eye gouge.
However, there was no intervention from the TMO on the night, and the 26-hour window for teams to launch citings has now lapsed.
The Sharks, now fourth on the URC log, next travel to Pretoria to take on the Bulls on 15 February, and by all accounts Mapimpi will be available for this clash.
You can see the incident involving Makazole Mapimpi below:
MATCH REPORT REMINDER
The Sharks delivered a quality performance against Cardiff at Cardiff Arms Park on Saturday, scoring six tries to four in a high-scoring 42-22 encounter, which bagged them their first win against the Welsh side in the URC.
It was a fast-paced game from both sides, and had it not been for the occasional missed opportunity, the Durbanites could have registered an even bigger win.
Cardiff opened the scoring in the seventh minute with a try out wide, but this was cancelled out the by Sharks’ opening five-pointer by Springbok hooker Bongi Mbonambi minutes later, converted by his SA team-mate Jordan Hendrikse to make it 7-5.
The Durbanites continued to inflict damage with powerful runners Jurenzo Julius and Makazole Mapimpi scoring back-to-back tries, and by the 33rd minute they held a 21-5 lead.
Cardiff fought back and this paid off with their second try in the 37th minute by Tom Bowen, which saw the hosts enter the sheds trailing by 21-10.
Mbonambi added his second try two minutes after play resumed, but Bowen followed suit two minutes later for his brace, before the hosts added another try to reduce their deficit to 28-22 in the 58th minute.
The KwaZulu-Natalians, however, finished with a flourish, scoring two tries in three minutes by Francois Venter and Yaw Penxe to push the match out of reach for the home side and secure a handy victory bonus-point victory on the road at the halfway stage of their campaign.
Scorers:
Cardiff 22 (10) – Tries: Tom Bowen (2), Alex Mann, Gabriel Hamer-Webb. Conversion: Calum Sheedy.
Hollywoodbets Sharks 42 (21) – Tries: Bongi Mbonambi (2), Jurenzo Julius, Makazole Mapimpi, Francois Venter, Yaw Penxe. Conversions: Jordan Hendrikse (6).
Src: TheSouthAfrican.com - https://rugga.co.za/sharks/makazole-mapimpi-not-cited-after-allegations-of-eye-gouging/
