Eben Etzebeth was handed a 12-week ban for sticking his thumb into the eye of Alex Mann during South Africa's 73-0 win over Wales, but it was far from the worst ban handed out in the history of rugby union.
He will miss United Rugby Championship (URC) matches for the Sharks until the end of March following the verdict from an independent disciplinary committee. However, Rassie Erasmus will surely be relieved to have him available for selection in time for the Springboks' 2026 Tests.
Some, like legendary referee Nigel Owens, felt that Etzebeth's ban was far too lenient for the offense, and he's certainly faired better than some others in the past.
Chris Jones banned indefinitely... twice
Chris Jones, by all accounts, turned his life around after his playing career. However, the player known for carrying an axe in his kit bag holds the ignominy of being the only player in the history of the sport banned indefinitely twice over.
Jones, a former Wales junior international who played as a hooker/prop for Treorchy, received his first life suspension for being sent off in a brawl shortly after returning from a six-month ban.
After appealing to the Welsh Rugby Union, he was permitted to return to the game less than two years later. However, he soon received another lifetime ban for yet another violent act shortly after returning.
As per an Independent article published in 1993, Jones eventually received another reprieve from the WRU but was unable to take advantage due to a trapped nerve in his back, leading to the end of his playing career.
As per the Independent, it took a wrongful arrest at the Brecon Jazz Festival in 1990 for Jones to reform his life - as he was facing a potentially serious prison sentence but had the charge reduced to causing an affray - for which he received a fine.
He has subsequently contributed to rugby through coaching and development at various levels.
Other (dis)honourable amateur-era mentions
Michel Palmié: A former France international and AS Béziers lock banned for life after punching Racing Club's Armand Clerc and leaving him partially blinded in one eye. Palmié later became an official in the French Rugby Federation.
Johan le Roux: Banned for 19 months for biting the ear of Sean Fitzpatrick in a 1994 Test between South Africa and New Zealand.
Professional era bans
Trevor Brennan: Rugby's Eric Cantona
In defence of Jones, there were several other serious offenders during the amateur era of rugby in which he participated - so many that there could be a separate list focusing solely on them.
However, in the professional era, it is unusual to come across an offence as brazen as that of former Ireland lock/flanker Brennan on a stage quite as big as a Heineken Cup match in 2007.
Now known as the European Rugby Champions Cup, this was the biggest stage in European rugby. Brennan was playing for Toulouse against Ulster when he jumped into the crowd and punched a spectator.
It was rugby's answer to Manchester United legend Eric Cantona's infamous kung-fu kick, which earned him a nine-month ban in 1995.
As a sport that prides itself, rightly or wrongly, on having better manners than footballers, rugby union had to be seen to take a strong stance against Brennan.
Per the Guardian, there had been debate among witnesses whether his reaction was sparked by taunts over his mother, or a pub he owned in Toulouse.
Either way, there was no mercy for Brennan, who was initially handed a lifetime ban.
An independent appeal committee reduced his ban to five years, but given that that would have still kept him out of the game until the year of his 39th birthday, the outcome was the same. Brennan's career was over.
Bloodgate: The scandal that shook rugby
It may not have been the scandal which produced the longest bans, but Bloodgate was probably the scandal that brought greater disrepute onto rugby union than any other.
The scene, once again, was a high-stakes Heineken Cup match which saw Harlequins face Leinster in 2009. It was a tightly-fought quarter-final decided in the final minutes of the game.
As the clock ticked down, winger Tom Williams feigned an injury using a fake blood capsule. This allowed Nick Evans to return to the field, having previously been substituted, so he could attempt what could have been a decisive late drop goal.
As it turned out, Evans' attempt went wide and Leinster won the game and the entire Heineken Cup.
However, the story did not end there for the Harlequins. Williams had been caught on camera dropping the fake blood capsule on the field before putting it back in his mouth and biting it.
Initially, he was punished alone - facing a year-long ban from rugby. However, after seeking advice from the Rugby Players' Association, Williams received notice - per BBC Sport - that cup organisers were going to appeal against the verdict - calling upon him as a witness to get more conspirators punished.
Protracted discussions took place between Williams and the club, but after reportedly initially attempting a cover-up, Harlequins eventually gave him their backing to tell the truth. An investigation by the European Rugby Cup and the Rugby Football Union found that Quins had faked injuries to make tactical substitutions on four prior occasions.
Dean Richards - who had been Director of Rugby at the time of the incident - resigned in August 2009. The decorated former England eighthman received a three-year ban from rugby - the longest of all involved in the scheme - as its orchestrator.
Physiotherapist Steph Brennan, who handed Williams the blood capsule, was banned for two years. Club doctor Wendy Chapman was suspended by the General Medical Council and subsequently given a warning for cutting into Williams' lip in order to aid the cover-up.
Although often strict in the punishments handed out, the game of rugby has ultimately offered redemption opportunities to the likes of Williams, Jones, Palmié, and even Richards - who went on to serve as Newcastle Falcons Director of Rugby from 2012-2022.
Known for his aggressive approach to rugby for better or worse, history suggests Etzebeth will another opportunity to convince the court of public opinion that the most capped Springbok of all-time should not be remembered solely as one of the game's 'bad boys'.