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What are the red card rules at Rugby World Cup 2019, and how does sin bin work?

IT'S England against South Africa in the Rugby World Cup final.

Neither team has picked up a red card so far in the competition and they will not want to on grandest stage.

Credit: PA:Press Association

Vahaamahina was given his marching orders against Wales for an elbow

What are the red card rules at the Rugby World Cup?

These are most commonly shown for foul or dangerous play with the player unable to continue and the team not being able to replace them, like in most sports.

With tackling a large part of rugby, referees often need to keep an eye to make sure that players' health and safety are not being threatened excessively.

These could include by tackling players targeting the head or producing tackles in the air - in particular spear tackles that see players tip their opposite number head first towards the ground.

Other acts of foul play include biting, eye gouging and stamping.

But unlike other sports, sending offs in the Rugby World Cup do not bring an automatic punishment of missing a set number of games.

Instead, the red carded player must stand before a panel who decide firstly if the dismissal was correct, before deciding their punishment.

The severity of the foul play could lead to players missing several months of rugby, in particular eye gouging, with former England star Dylan Hartley previously suspended for 26 weeks.

Here are those who have picked up a red card so far in the 2019 Rugby World Cup:

  • Andrea Lovotti (Italy)
  • Bundee Aki (Ireland)
  • Ed Fidow (Samoa)
  • Facundo Gattas (Uruguay)
  • John Quill (USA)
  • Josh Larsen (Canada)
  • Sebastien Vahaamahina (France)
  • Tomas Lavanini (Argentina)

What is a sin bin?

Sin bin is whereby the referee shows a player a yellow card for either foul play or a continuous run of wrongdoing.

Those cautioned are then temporarily suspended and must leave the pitch for ten minutes, with teams unable to swap that player during that time - so will be a man short.

If a player is shown a yellow card twice, he is sent off.