Red and yellow cards were introduced in rugby union in the early 2000’s, borrowed from football as a way to manage player discipline and well being. The rules of red cards continue to evolve over time to effectively cover all the different varieties of dangerous play.
Top Reasons For Red Cards in Rugby Union
| Offense | Count | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Strike with arm | 4 | 6.9% |
| Strike with elbow | 4 | 6.9% |
| Shoulder charge | 2 | 3.4% |
| Tripping | 1 | 1.7% |
| Prejudicial content | 3 | 5.2% |
| Tackling player in the air | 2 | 3.4% |
| Dangerous tackle | 18 | 31% |
| Disrespecting officials | 1 | 1.7% |
| Dangerous play in ruck/maul | 7 | 12.1$ |
| Stamping | 3 | 5.2% |
| Tip tackles | 5 | 8.6% |
| Reckless/dangerous play | 1 | 1,7% |
| Kicking a player | 1 | 1.7% |
| Two yellows | 2 | 3.4% |
| Eye contact | 1 | 1.7% |
| Hair puling | 1 | 1.7% |
| Dangerous/reckless play | 2 | 3.4% |
Most red cards are handed out for dangerous tackles which is due in part to the greater emphasis that World Rugby has placed on lowering the height that players tackle at. Anything above the shoulder line is now likely to be looked at by the TMO.
This has been done in order to reduce the potential for head injuries and concussions which have become a worrying trend in the game.
The second highest number of red cards handed out is for dangerous play in rucks and mauls. These incidents also tend to centre around the player charging into a ruck to clean out players who already have their heads low to the ground over the ball.
The low body position of players in rucks makes it very difficult for the player attempting to ‘clean out’ a ruck not to make contact with a players head and if you dont manage to get your arms up in time to try and wrap then contact to an opponents head can easily be made with force and a red card ensue.
Let’s take a closer look at the ins and outs of red and yellow cards in rugby, or you can take a look at our full guide to the basic rules of rugby here.
What is a red card in rugby?
A red card in rugby is shown when a player has committed such a serious offense that the referee deems they should be sent from the field of play and not allowed to return. Typical red card offenses include: high tackles, tip tackles, taking a players legs when they are in the air and striking an opponent.
The list of dangerous plays that could lead to a red card in rugby according to the rule makers themselves World Rugby is Law 9 below with my explanations:
1. Leading with an elbow or forearm
The palm of the hand should ideally be open and the arm be in the process of straightening. Even if a player leads with an elbow accidentally then it may still incur a red card. Similarly you can’t just run into someone with your forearm acting like a bar or bumper in front of you. Considerable damage can be done with both of these.
2. Physical abuse
This includes punching, eye gouging, biting, any form of striking of a player, any form of stamping, or kicking.
The most infamous example that springs to mind is the quarter final of the world cup when France were getting the upper hand against Wales in 2019 when lock Sebastien Vahaamahina launched a vicious elbow to a Welsh players head in a maul and was subsequently sent off, YouTube.
3. Verbal abuse
Whilst verbal abuse against other players is hard to monitor verbal abuse direct to the referee is likely to be punished with a straight red card.
One of the most famous red cards in rugby was handed out the 2013 premiership final when Dylan Hartley, the then England international quite rightly received an immediate red card for allegedly calling the referee a ‘f$%# cheat!’. Although he claims it wasn’t aimed at the referee he was still sent on his way, watch on YouTube.
4. Early/Late/High Tackles
These are all classed as dangerous tackles and the height at which players are allowed to tackle is being refereed much more strictly nowadays and any contact above the shoulder line is immediately reviewed by the referee and TMO together with players being given straight red cards for delivering direct contact to the head with force.
I don’t think anyone disagrees with this new rule in an attempt to make the game safer for everyone but referees struggle to police this fairly across the board and so it has become a point of much frustration for coaches, fans and players alike.
In the 2021 six nations Bundi Aki was sent off for a marginally high hit fractionally above the shoulder line on the ginormous Billy Vunipola, watch on YouTube.
Another controversial sending off at the time was the Sam Warburton’s tip tackle which saw Wales go to fourteen men against New Zealand which they still nearly won and probably could have done so had Sam not put a French player down on his head, watch on YouTube.
The commentator claims that it was a controversial decision which at the time it might have been but now it is clearly a straight red given the high degree of danger.
At this point you might also want to read our guide to making tackles from behind here.
5. Tackling an opponent without the ball
This could be very dangerous as a player is not set and ready to take a hit. Take a look at this cracker on Jonny WIlkinson by South African Janess Labushagne, watch on YouTube.
6. Charging into a ruck or maul recklessly
Often players will find themselves running into a ruck or maul situation eager to make an impact and shift opposition players out of the way. However, it is important that they contact and bind at the same time, this means that shoulder charges are strictly not allowed.
Again referees have clamped down on this in recent time and it is often called a ‘chicken wing’ when a player cannot get, or does not attempt to lift their leading arm up and attempt to wrap the player they are hitting and instead the arm remains tucked under like a chicken wing.
Check out this one from the 2021 six nations which cost Ireland the service of Peter Mahoney, YouTube.
7. Two yellow cards
Often the same player will become guilty of multiple infringements, typically killing the ball, high tackles, back chat to the referee. If they commit two such offences that the referee deems serious enough they may be shown a red card.
Normally though, after a player receives a yellow card they will then be more careful once they come back on the pitch. As you can see from the table only one player was sent off for two yellows across the top five tiers of English rugby.
The above points are by far the most common reasons for a red card in rugby union although you can read the nuances of the full laws laid out here by World Rugby, or you may be interested in: Can you block a kick in rugby?
If you want to see these rules applied ‘in action’ then the video below should help you out…
What is the new red card rule?
In 2021 a new red card rule was trialed in the southern hemisphere’s Rugby Championship whereby a player would be sent off for a period of twenty minutes only before being allowed to return to the field of play.
The reason for this trial was in response to the growing number of games being ‘ruined’ by players being sent off for border line offences and fans not getting to see the best players in action all the time.
Beauden Barrett’s sending off against Australia was a good example of why this rule is a good thing. The original sending off decision was debatable anyway but he was punished. However the game was not ruined and he was able to comeback on and give the crowd what they paid to come and see, i.e his talents as a rugby player.
However, at the time of writing the jury is still out on whether this is a good addition to the rule book or not.
How long is a red card ban in rugby? What is the punishment?
After a player receives a red card, as well as missing the rest of that game, a disciplinary committee will meet early in the following week to decide what extra punishment the player should serve. The committee will use the official sanction table to determine the length of the ban.
The RFU’s ‘Sanction Table’ takes into account the type of offense (those listed above), and the severity of the offense (low, mid, top, or maximum) in order to determine the length of the ban.
This means that the length of each persons band is individualised, so here are a few examples to give you a flavour:
Daniel Du Preez
Playing for Sale Sharks received a three week ban for striking with the shoulder contrary to Law 9.12 and making contact with his right shoulder to the back of the neck of the Gloucester 13. The ban was reduced from six weeks to three due to his exemplary disciplinary record.
Kyle Sinckler
Following a no arms tackle performed on him by the Exeter hooker the referee says “I think he’s wrapped. (I) Believe he’s wrapped two arms. ”Kyle Sinckler, the tackled player screams, “Are you f$%^g serious?” directly aimed at the referee.
Kyle received a two week ban for what was considered a low end offence and he received no reduction from this ban length.
Kieran Brookes
The Wasp received a three week ban for a dangerous tackle which was deemed to have been a mid range offense which would normally have been a six week ban but he received a three week reduction due to his previous good record.
According to the referee’s report card:
“Wasps 3 never attempted to wrap his right arm as part of the tackle and was upright throughout the action. He tucked his arm across the front of his body and then his right shoulder connected direct to the head of the Leicester player.”
Hopefully that should give you an idea of how player bans for red cards are ‘worked out’. Essentially, there is a set procedure but there is a reasonable amount of ‘wriggle room’ for players to argue their case.
Who has the most red cards in rugby union?
Tomas Lavanini is the most red carded player in international rugby union with three red cards. Prop, Chabal Paulo of Brazil, John Quill a flanker from the US, Mario Sagario a prop from Uruguay and wing Alesana Tuilagi wing for Samoa sit in second place with two red cards each.
Photo Credits:
Kyle Sinckler, Harlequins – Section Paloise en août 2014 Charlie from UK, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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