SEEING RED

Only two players have been sent off on their Rugby World Cup debuts. Feleti Mahoni was red-carded for stamping against France in 1995, although Tonga claimed it was a case of mistaken identity and that the player responsible had been rucking. In 1999, Marika Vunibaka (Fiji) was given his marching orders after headbutting Canada’s Kyle Nicholls in a pool game.