British and Irish Lions defensive coach Shaun Edwards has branded South Africa coach Peter de Villiers a "clown" for condoning Schalk Burger's eye-gouging of Luke Fitzgerald.
Burger has been suspended for eight weeks for the attack on Lions winger Fitzgerald 32 seconds into South Africa's series-clinching 28-25 victory on Saturday.
Edwards, an assistant to head coach Ian McGeechan, said the Lions "got a bit of a result" when the International Rugby Board vowed to rid rugby of the "particularly heinous" act of eye-gouging following the latest incident.
"Interestingly, but probably only coincidentally, the IRB acted a day after (Lions center Brian) O'Driscoll had intervened to point up the appalling utterances of the South African coach, Peter de Villiers, who made himself look an utter clown after the match by appearing to condone gouging," Edwards wrote Friday in his column in the Guardian newspaper. "I wouldn't normally call another coach a clown, but anyone who considers gouging is 'part of the game,' which is what De Villiers said, deserves it.
"As O'Driscoll, a man of considerable stature in the game who is admired everywhere he plays, said, no parent in his or her right mind would introduce their child to a sport which condoned such behavior. Rugby is quite physical enough without players losing the discipline that keeps things within reasonable bounds."
The Lions are looking to avoid their eighth test loss in a row and a 3-0 series loss to South Africa on Saturday.
