Last Updated: Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:07
South Africa coach Peter de Villiers has issued a spectacular climbdown and apologised for Schalk Burger's eye-gouging.
Burger was on Sunday found guilty of "making contact with the face in the eye area" of wing Luke Fitzgerald in the second and, ultimately, deciding Test against the British and Irish Lions and was banned for eight weeks.
De Villers had insisted at the time that the flanker did nothing wrong in Pretoria but later retracted his comments and insisted that "eye-gouging is something that we as a team will never be part of".
The coach added: "It was never my intention to suggest that I condone foul play.
"That is the last thing I would ever do and I apologise for that impression."
World champions South Africa, who also saw second row Bakkies Botha handed a two-week ban for dangerous charging, will not appeal against Burger's eight-week ban.