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Players with the most red cards in rugby

Records are usually associated with achievements to be proud of, but some players made the record books for the wrong reason – the infamous red card.

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We take a look at those players that have the blemish of more than one red card on their resume. Who are the real bad lads who have more than one?

Red cards drastically affect the game, with the carded player’s team being left at an automatic disadvantage, especially if it happens early into the game.

As rugby has evolved over the years, the rules have also had to evolve. There’s no denying that rugby is dangerous; its fast pace, high contact, and aggressive nature mean players are pretty hardened to some tough hits.

Sanctions for a red card range from two weeks for a low-level offence, which includes a stiff arm tackle, tripping, early and late tackles and more, to 260 weeks or even a lifetime ban for the worst, high-level offences. The severest offences in rugby include reckless contact with eyes, biting, or verbal or physical abuse of a match official.

One of the most infamously unpredictable players, though, is former England captain Dylan Hartley. Hartley spent a total of 60 weeks of his career banned for multiple different offences.

Players with the most red cards in rugby

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In 2007, Hartley served a 26-week ban for gouging not one but two players: Wasps’ James Haskell and Johnny O’Connor. In 2012, he was given an 8-week ban for biting Ireland flanker Stephen Ferris during a Six Nations match, then a further 2-week ban later in the year for striking Rory Best of Ulster. 2013 saw Hartley receive an 11-week ban for abusing a referee; this resulted in him missing the Lion’s tour of Australia.

There’s still more: Hartley received a 3-week ban in 2014 for using his elbows dangerously. In 2015, he spent 4 weeks banned for headbutting Saracens’ Jamie George, causing him to miss out on the World Cup. Finally, in 2016, Hartley was banned for 6 weeks for swinging an arm at Sean O’Brien.

Who are the players who have the most red cards in rugby?

Three players have been sent off twice in their international careers. Uruguay’s Mario Cagnani, Samoa’s Alesana Tuilagi and the United States’ Paul Emerick share that dubious honour.

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In 2011 two players were red carded in the first half of a fiery Aviva Premiership clash between rivals Leicester Tigers and Northampton Saints yesterday. The Tigers won the match 30-25 in a game that had many talking points.

Powerful wing Alesana Tuilagi bumped off Chris Ashton before the England winger tracked back, caught him, and dragged him by his hair, sparking a touchline brawl that resulted in both Tuilagi and Tom Wood being sent off.

Players with the most red cards in rugby

Then, two years later, Tuilagi received his second red card for the dangerous high tackle that he made on Springbok Jean de Villiers in the final of the Quad Series in Pretoria. The Springboks won the game 56-23 and the Samoan was suspended for two weeks.

In 2012 during the first ever test match on home soil for the American Eagles against Italy, Paul Emerick received his marching orders for diving into a tackle with little use of the arms. The Americans didn’t have a good day as two of their players got red cards for dangerous tackles, which had a significant impact on the match.

Players with the most red cards in rugby

Two years later as the Eagles were playing a qualifier for the 2011 World Cup when he got his second red for kicking the Canadian winger, DTH Van der Merwe, in the head.

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