O'Driscoll (left) believes De Villiers has brought the game into disrepute
Brian O'Driscoll has added his voice to the criticism of Springboks coach Peter de Villiers over his stance on Schalk Burger's gouging offence.
De Villiers initially denied Burger had done anything wrong in the second Test against the British and Irish Lions.
The flanker received an eight-week ban, and O'Driscoll said: "To hear the South Africa coach talk about gouging being part of the game was semi-repulsive.
"I just find it appalling. I truly find it a disgrace," added the Lions centre.
Burger was found guilty of "making contact with the face in the eye area" of Lions wing Luke Fitzgerald.
TV footage showed Burger's fingers making contact with Fitzgerald's eye inside the first minute of the match in Pretoria.
De Villiers later issued an apology for defending Burger's actions and the South Africans will not be appealing against the player's suspension.
But Ireland star O'Driscoll added: "When you think about a situation where a parent wonders about whether their child should play rugby or soccer, and you hear comments from a national team coach of that sort - and regardless of the apology he may have submitted - it's essentially bringing the game into disrepute.
"We're trying to promote the game, and yet you hear comments like that."
Fitzgerald was able to continue after treatment, but at the time Burger escaped with only a yellow card from French referee Christophe Berdos - a decision taken on the advice of New Zealand touch judge Bryce Lawrence, who spotted the offence.

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After the match, De Villiers said he did not believe Burger should have been sent to the sin-bin
But on Monday, he backed down, saying: "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."
De Villiers went on to say that "eye-gouging is something that we as a team will never be part of".
"The same applies to biting, head-butting, spear tackling or any other foul play that doesn't belong in the game," he added.

The Lions launched a late fightback to beat the Royal XV and avoid what would have been their first defeat in the opening tour match since 1971.
Two tries in quick succession, from Wilhelm Koch and Rayno Barnes, helped the hosts take a shock 18-3 lead.
Tommy Bowe's converted try made it 18-10 at the break before a Ronan O'Gara penalty cut the lead to five.
Bees Roux scored for the hosts but late tries from Lee Byrne, Alun Wyn Jones and O'Gara saw the Lions home.
A sparse crowd at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace in Rustenberg - the Super 14 final was taking place in nearby Pretoria - saw the Lions make a raft of mistakes and struggle to gel in the first hour.
An embarrassing defeat was on the cards - for the first time in a Lions tour opener since losing 15-11 to the Queensland Reds in 1971 - to an equally scratch side made up of players from the third tier of South African rugby.
It was not all bad for the Lions and Jamie Roberts and Lee Byrne both turned in fine performances despite the rocky display from the team as a unit, and in the end the Lions' greater fitness saw them run in three late tries to avoid faces as red as their shirts.
O'Gara kicked a seventh-minute penalty to give the Lions the lead but Naas Olivier soon levelled with a penalty of his own.
The Lions' attempts to get their game going were hampered by centre Keith Earls' inability to hang on to the ball.
The 21-year-old was clearly struggling with nerves and when he dropped a high kick in his own 22 it gave the hosts great field position.

They attacked from a ruck, great hands from Hanno Coetzee put Koch through a gap and the Royal XV captain had the pace and power to just make it to the line.
It soon went from bad to worse for the visitors, as Barnes burst through the middle of a maul to add a second try.
The maul, so rare a sight under the experimental laws (ELVs) that had been in effect for the past year, was making a welcome reappearance as Saturday's game was played under the definitive new laws which prohibit players from dragging down the maul, contrary to the system in use under the trial laws.
Royal XV fly-half Olivier converted the first try and slotted a penalty in between the two tries to give the hosts an unexpected 18-3 lead with less than half an hour on the clock.
As the Lions tried to get back on terms they elected not to kick for goal when awarded penalties and after kicking into the corner once more they finally scored their first try of the tour.
They failed to maul their way over from the line-out but fed the ball into midfield and Bowe popped up to take O'Gara's inside pass and motor over under the posts.
Ireland fly-half O'Gara slotted the conversion and despite a difficult opening 40 minutes, the Lions went in only eight points adrift at the break.
O'Gara trimmed the gap with a penalty two minutes after the restart and with Olivier then missing for the hosts, the Lions approached the last 20 minutes trailing by five points.
By now the tourists had taken charge but despite coming close to scoring several times, with Shane Williams even dropping the ball as he tried to spin over the line, they could not quite breach the hosts' defence.
And the Royal XV made them pay when they mounted a rare attack and Roux's converted score gave them what looked like being a decisive 25-13 lead.
With time running out Byrne showed fine footballing skills to score a superb solo try and give the tourists some hope, and O'Gara's conversion and a subsequent penalty cut the gap to two points with seven minutes to play.
By now the momentum had swung firmly in favour of the Lions and first Wyn Jones and then O'Gara went over for converted tries to ensure the Lions got the tour under way with the result, if not the performance, they wanted.
Royal Highveld XV: Russell Jeacocks (Leopards); Egon Seconds (Griquas), Deon van Rensburg (Leopards), Hanno Coetzee (Griquas), Bjorn Basson (Griquas); Naas Olivier (Griquas), Sarel Pretorius (Griquas); Albertus Buckle (Griquas), Rayno Barnes (Griquas), Bees Roux (Griquas), Rudi Mathee (Leopards), Jacques Lombard (Griquas), Wilhelm Koch (Leopards, capt), Devon Raubenheimer (Griquas), Jonathan Makoena (Griquas).Replacements: Pellow van der Westhuizen (Leopards), Stef Roberts (Griquas), Rynard Landman (Leopards), RW Kember (Leopards), Jacques Coetzee (Pumas), Riaan Viljoen (Griquas), Jovan Bowles (Bulldogs).
Lions: Lee Byrne (Ospreys/Wales), Tommy Bowe (Ospreys/Ireland), Keith Earls (Munster/Ireland), Jamie Roberts (Cardiff Blues/Wales), Shane Williams (Ospreys/Wales); Ronan O'Gara (Munster/Ireland), Mike Blair (Edinburgh/Scotland); Andrew Sheridan (Sales Sharks/England), Matthew Rees (Scarlets/Wales), Adam Jones (Ospreys/Wales), Simon Shaw (London Wasps/England), Paul O'Connell (Munster/Ireland - captain), Joe Worsley (London Wasps/England), Martyn Williams (Cardiff Blues/Wales), David Wallace (Munster/Ireland).Replacements: Lee Mears (Bath/England), Phil Vickery (London Wasps/England), Alun-Wyn Jones (Ospreys/Wales), Jamie Heaslip (Leinster/Ireland), Mike Phillips (Ospreys/Wales), Stephen Jones (Scarlets/Wales), Riki Flutey (London Wasps/England).
Referee: Marius Jonker (South Africa).
Assistant referees: Craig Joubert and Mark Lawrence (both South Africa).

Gavin Henson made his Wales debut against Japan in 2003
Ospreys coach Sean Holley has advised Wales against picking Gavin Henson for their summer tour to north America.
The Wales centre was sidelined for eight weeks after damaging ankle ligaments in the EDF Energy Cup semi-final defeat to Gloucester in March.
Henson had a slim hope of being a late call-up for this summer's Lions tour to South Africa if he impressed for Wales.
But Holley said: "The Wales tour might come a bit early as he would not have played for six or eight weeks."
The 27-year-old admitted his season was over after his injury curse struck again in that 17-0 EDF Energy last four defeat at the Ricoh Arena.
But double Grand Slam winner Henson is expected to recover from injury before Wales' two-Test summer tour to play Canada in Toronto on 30 May and United States in Chicago on 6 June.
Lions coach Ian McGeechan, whose side begin their three-Test showdown with the world champions in Durban on 20 June, would have watched Henson's progress in north America with great interest.
Henson pulls up with an ankle injury
And if the Ospreys star - who admits he would be a "liability" on a Lions tour - recovered well from his injury, a call-up to play the Springboks would have been a distinct possibility.
But Henson's club coach Holley said a summer tour "might be a difficult ask" for the 31-times capped international.
"It could be a risk," said Holley.
Henson has suffered an injury-ravaged season and missed the autumn series because of an Achilles problem then missed the start of Wales' Six Nations Grand Slam defence with a calf injury.
Holley has also ruled Henson out of playing any part in the Ospreys' remaining Magners League games.

They face Newport Gwent Dragons at the Liberty Stadium on 30 April followed by a home clash with Glasgow and a trip to Heineken Cup champions Munster.
Holley said: "Gavin's injury is obviously a difficult one because it's on his foot and his ankle, but he's making progress.
"He's working hard with the medical team.
"I'm not sure he's going to make it to one of the remaining games, which is disappointing, but I'm sure now we'll look forward to getting him right pre-season."

Jonathan Thomas will be sidelined for at least three months
Jonathan Thomas has been ruled out for the season after suffering a recurrence of his long-standing groin problem.
The 26-year-old Wales back-row misses the Ospreys' Heineken Cup quarter-final and their Magners League run-in.
"I saw a specialist and he said the only way to cure it is to have at least three months' rest, so that rules me out until next season really," he said.
"Obviously I'm bitterly disappointed with that, but the time had come where I've had the problem so long."
The groin problem has wrecked Thomas' season, ruling him out of Wales' autumn Test series and most of their Six Nations campaign.
Thomas returned for the lacklustre 20-15 win in Italy and was an unused replacement on the final weekend when Ireland won in Cardiff to claim their first Grand Slam in 61 years.
The injury has also robbed the line-out leader of any realistic hope of gaining selection for the end-of-season Lions tour to South Africa.
"It's been a shocker of a season for myself in terms of injury," Thomas added.
"So I'm quite realistic that I need to get the rest in if I want to come back next season."