In rugby, a red card is an immediate sending-off, with no return to the game and no substitutions allowed. Red cards are shown for foul or dangerous play, such as high or otherwise reckless tackles, biting, eye gouging, and stamping. Unlike football, red cards in rugby dont carry an automatic suspension of missing a set number of games. Instead, the guilty player must stand before a panel from World Rugby who will decide whether the dismissal was fair before then issuing a ban.

When reviewing an incident, referees consider a complex set of actions and variables all occurring within a short space of time. Some of these may be intentional and dangerous, some reckless, and some non-controllable (i.e. accidental) which happens in a contact sport. Referees hold the card above their head while looking or pointing toward the player who has committed the offence. The colour or shape of the card used by the official indicates the type or seriousness of the offence and the level of punishment that is to be applied.