The French Competition and Union authorities, the LNR and FFR have announced that in a twist to the 20min red card which comes into elite rugby this year, they will be showing an orange card rather than a red card.
There is no bunker/FPRO off-field review process for the Top 14 or ProD2, so any decisions on card colour will come from the referee after consultation with ARs and the TMO at the time of the event.
It is thought that the orange card – which still means the player cannot return but can replaced 20mins later – will be used for more technical infringements, or for two yellow cards. A red card will be reserved for those 9.12 offences (aka thuggery) and those intentional and highly dangerous offences such as targetting the lower limbs and charging into a ruck with head contacts. It is thought that some head contact high tackles will still be dealt with by a permanent red card.
Opening weekend – no oranges
In the opening round of the ProD2 last weekend, no orange cards were shown. However, Francis Saili picked up a red card playing for RC Vannes against CA Brive. The video shows an attempted wrap but he was upright and caused direct head-on-head contact with an opponent. Luc Ramos showed the player a red card, not an orange one, meaning a permanent red card. This appears to be at odds with the way these incidents have been refereed internationally where a 20-minute red card would be the expected outcome.
The FFR and LNR were vocal about their opposition to the World Rugby trials, so no doubt this plays into the way it is being implemented in their elite competitions. It will be interesting to see how these play out in France this season.
