Rugby: Three cards mean date with judiciary

Players who accumulate yellow cards will not necessarily receive a sanction, unlike the soccer World Cup, where a player misses a match once a threshold is crossed. Photo / Getty Images

Serial infringers beware, players who receive three yellow cards will have to front the judiciary.

IRB legal executive Susan Ahern yesterday outlined the judicial process for the tournament.

"It will be an independent process executed by independent personnel," she said.

Players who accumulate yellow cards will not necessarily receive a sanction, unlike the soccer World Cup, where a player misses a match once a threshold is crossed.

All yellow cards will be wiped once the knockout phase begins.

Under this system, the IRB disciplinary process has effectively determined that three yellows equals a red card, as all players who are sent from the field will front a judiciary, usually within 36 hours of the conclusion of the match and the hearing should have taken place within 48 hours of the conclusion of the match.

Upon receiving the decision, the player has another 48 hours in which to appeal.

"Consistency in the application of the process should lead to consistency in the outcome," said Ahern.

She acknowledged that there was no mathematical formula and each case would be treated individually.

Teams have 12 hours after the end of a match to refer any foul play to the citing commissioner.

The citing commissioner has 36 hours to cite a player.

Meanwhile, IRB anti-doping manager Tim Ricketts said there would be more than 300 drug tests performed at the tournament, making it the largest programme delivered here.

The testing, both blood and urine, would be done by Drug-Free Sport NZ.

Ricketts said that since 2010 more than 1000 tests had been conducted across the 20 teams with just one returning positive.

That player had been dealt with, sanctioned and was not involved in the tournament.

"The statistics look good and I'm confident it will be a clean tournament," he said.

"But you can't be complacent."