Rugby's red card dilemma: Lessons from the rescinded decisions

The red cards given to South Africa’s Franco Mostert and Japan’s Harry Hockings should never have happened. That’s the clear message after both were reviewed and downgraded this week.

And while both players were cleared to play in the upcoming games, the impact of those decisions on their teams — and on the credibility of officiating — is hard to ignore.

Mostert’s sending-off against Italy in Turin forced the Springboks to play over an hour with 14 men. What should have been a good contest for a youthful Bok side suddenly turned into a real battle, robbing certain players of valuable minutes on the field.

If the Boks had slipped up, their world ranking could have taken a major hit right before the pool draw for the 2027 Rugby World Cup. They held on, but were forced to dig deep for victory because of an incorrect call.Japan suffered even more.

Hockings’ 20-minute red card came in a tight game against Wales that ended with Japan losing by just three points. Playing without one of their most important forwards disrupted their set-piece, defence and momentum. Now that the card has been overturned, it’s hard not to feel that Japan were denied a fair shot at victory.

These two incidents highlight a growing issue in rugby’s approach to head contact and the system used to dish out cards. Yes, there must be a genuine intention to protect players, but how the laws are applied on the field needs to be consistent and not overly harsh.

When two red cards in one weekend are later judged to be wrong, it’s no longer just bad luck — it’s a sign that the system isn’t working properly. And it sets a precedent.

If disciplinary committees continue to overturn decisions, referees and TMOs must exercise greater caution before issuing red cards. If they do not, the game will end up in a peculiar place where players are sent off during matches but cleared afterwards — leaving teams to suffer for 60-plus minutes because of an error that is only fixed days later.

Rugby must find a better balance with the head-contact red card system. Everyone agrees that player safety is essential, but so is fairness. It was not fair to Japan or South Africa to be reduced to 14 men.

Not every collision is dangerous or reckless, and officials must do better to differentiate. After these incidents, the question remains: how many more games will be affected before the system is fixed?

That is something only World Rugby can answer — and for rugby’s sake, it needs to happen soon.