Watch: Top 5 Craziest Red Cards Ever
The final minutes of this year’s Rugby Championship brought one of its most controversial moments.
With the All Blacks and the Springboks locked in the closing stages of the tournament’s best battle Damian De Allende was ordered off in what was at best a questionable decision.
Since the South African centre clattered into Lima Sopoaga, the rugby world has been in uproar over the ridiculousness of the decision to send him off, which has since been rescinded.
Social media users have bitten into the issue in every which way, and brought up all manner of examples to support their claims.
After all, it’s not the only time a referee has wrongly brandished a card, to prove it here
Sam Warburton
Perhaps the best known of the cards on this list is Sam Warburton’s red in the World Cup semi-final in 2011. Only 18 minutes into the game Alain Rolland effectively ended any contest by sending off the Welsh captain, and after years of debate, it was decided that to the letter of the law he was correct. It then turned to the law as the point of discussion, and to the fact no referee should have the power to effectively give one team a win with his interpretation. Warburton’s tackle was a game changer in more ways than one and has since acted as the reference point for not lifting a player through 90 degrees in any tackle.
Chris Ashton and Manu Tuilagi
We’ll fully admit that there’s no red card here, but two yellows make a red, and the two seen here were both so wrong they deserve to make this list. Chris Ashton is never usually the victim in these scenarios, but here he does no more than push Manu Tuilagi after a being hit with a dangerous tackle. So for his trouble, Ashton has been the recipient of a high tackle, 3 punches, and a yellow card. On the other side, Tuilagi gets away with a sin-binning even after having performed his best Mike Tyson impression. There are 3 things for sure here, Tuilagi should have been sent off, Ashton did well to stay on his feet, and England camp was awkward that Autumn.
Ryno Barnes
In a much less well-known incident, there’s a lot of confusion and mystery surrounding the red card issued to Ryno Barnes in his 100th Currie Cup match. After the referee made a close but correct offside call Barnes was alleged by the touch judge to have said “you ref like a piece of p**s” in the direction of referee Pro Legote. If that’s what he truly said, he absolutely deserves his marching orders, there’s no place for that in our game. However, a week later his card and ensuing ban were rescinded by the SARU, and no information was released. All in all, it seems to be a case of what happens in Loftus stays in Loftus.
Sergio Parisse
In all estimations, Sergio Parisse is a model professional, a fantastic player, leader and advocate of respect in the game of rugby. So when he was red-carded towards the end of the first half in a Top14 game, eyebrows were raised. By everyone’s guesses, it seems like poor Parisse fell victim to the Warburton effect. He was attempting to hold his opposite number up, but the Toulouse number 8 wanted obviously to get to ground. Parisse had grabbed him by the waist so when he tried to get down he went through 90 degrees, making it illegal by the book, despite the fact the Italian talisman was trying to do literally the opposite of driving him into the ground. Another example of an exception finding a roadblock in the rulebook and resulting in an unjust red card.
Jebb Sinclair
While there may be rulebook reasons for most red cards, we can’t find any reasons for this one. With Canada 2 points down and chasing a historic win over Scotland, Jebb Sinclair ran hard at the line like any good back-rower should. He doesn’t raise his elbow, he doesn’t hit the tackler with anything unusual, he just swats him away with impressive strength. We’re not even sure if his elbow is properly involved in the play whatsoever. The referee however, is convinced that with 4 minutes to go, a malicious and dangerous leading elbow has ploughed into the Scottish defender. Both the players and fans were mystified, and we can only assume Specsavers don’t do great business in Toronto.
Comments on RugbyPass
Thanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
4 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
4 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
26 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
13 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
26 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
13 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
4 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
13 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
13 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
13 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
13 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
13 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
45 Go to comments