Six Nations sendings off
Not many reds since 1977
Rugby Tests have been played since 1871. Over a century later the first player was sent off in a match in the International Championship – now called the Six Nations. The most recent was Scott Murray of Scotland.
Scott Murray is only the second player to be sent off whilst playing in a Test for Scotland. The first was Nathan Hines in 2002 – but that was in remote San Francisco, not under the spotlight of the Six Nations at Millennium Stadium on a Sunday afternoon with millions watching.
Sending off used to be rare. It first came into the laws in 1888 and was refereed to as "warning off". In 1892 it became "ordering off".
The first time a player was ordered off in a Test was in 1925 when Albert Freethy ordered off Cyril Brownlie of New Zealand at Twickenham.
The second time it was Colin Meads of New Zealand, ordered off by Kevin Kelleher at Murrayfield in 1967.
The next time it was Mike Burton of England who was ordered off by Bob Burnett on Brisbane in 1975.
So just three between 1871 and 1975, but the number has increased sharply since then as Tests have proliferated and clamping down on foul play become more vigorous.
The first time sending off occured in the International Championship – then the Five Nations – was in 1977 when Norman Sanson of Scotland ordered off Geoff Wheel of Wales and Willie Duggan of Ireland at Cardiff Arms Park. They took the long trudge together after fighting each other.
In 1980 David Burnett of Ireland sent off Paul Ringer of Wales for a late tackle when Wales played England at Twickenham. Ringer was found guilty of a late tackle on John Horton, the England fly-half. There had been a bitter build-up to the match in which Ringer's name was often mentioned in an accusatory or minatory way. Ringer then went off to Rugby League, a folk hero in Wales.
In 1984 Clive Norling sent off the French prop Jean-Pierre Garuet when France played Ireland in Paris.
Fred Howard of England sent off Kevin Moseley of Wales when playing against France in Cardiff in 1990 for stamping and then Alain Carminati of France when playing against Scotland at Murrayfield, also in 1990, the year of a Scottish Grand Slam.
On a crabby afternoon in Paris in 1992 Steve Hilditch of Ireland sent two players off in a Five Nations match – both Frenchmen, prop Grégoire Lescubé and hooker Vincent Moscato who often had bit parts in French films as a thug – Lescubé for stamping on Martin Bayfield and Moscato for head-butting. France were playing England who won 31-13. It was the only time that two players of the same team had been sent off in an International Championship match. Neither of the players ever played for France again.
In 1995 Didier Mene of France sent off John Davies of Wales for his wrongful use of the boot against England in Cardiff.
Pablo Deluca of Argentina was the first referee to send off a player in a Six Nations match when he sent off Walter Cristofoletto of Italy for "vigorous rucking" in Paris when France beat Italy 42-31. In Cristofoletto's case it was actually a yellow card but two yellow cards added up to a red card, which had novelty value of its own.
Italy had the next player sent off in a Six Nations match as well, when there was a bantam weight contest between Peter Stringer of Ireland and Alessandro Troncon of Italy. Stringer was naughty. Troncon retaliated and knocked Stringer out. Jonathan Kaplan of South Africa sent Troncon off in what was a bit like the Scott Murray situation where the retaliator was more vigorous than the instigator.
Then came Millennium Stadium on 12 February 2006.
The ball was going away from a line-out. Scott Murray passed it to his left. Long after he had passed it Ian Gough of Wales tackled him from behind. It was late. Murray ended on his back. His feet were free of Gough, his legs bent upwards, and from that position kicked out with his boots into Gough's face. The referee saw it.
He gather the players with their captains and said, pointing to each player as he mentioned him: "Under the laws of the game, this man [Gough] tackled this player [Murray] late. Unfortunately for you [Murray], you [Murray] retaliated and struck out and kicked him [Gough] in the head. I have no option. You [Murray] are red-carded and you [Gough] are in the sin-bin. Penalty against you [Murray]"
And Scott Murray trudged off impassively.
