World Rugby Disciplinary Committee Rescinds Franco Mostert’s Red Card Ahead of Ireland Clash

• Franco Mostert’s red card saga takes another turn as World Rugby confirmed its latest decision before the Springboks’ Ireland Test
• The South African rugby player was sent off during the Springboks' win over Italy in their last match
• The decision taken by the disciplinary committee on Mostert's red card sparked different reactions from social media users and rugby fans

The World Rugby disciplinary committee has taken a new big decision after reviewing the controversial red card handed down to Franco Mostert during the Springboks' win over Italy in Turin on Saturday, November 15, 2025.

The match marked the second game running in which the Springboks had a player sent off, after Lood de Jager was red-carded in South Africa's win over France in Paris on Saturday, November 8, 2025.

The back-to-back dismissals raised concerns within the Springboks camp, with Rassie Erasmus left infuriated that his team was not being judged fairly.

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Mostert's red card rescinded

Mostert’s red card has effectively been rescinded and downgraded to a yellow, clearing the way for him to be considered for selection by Erasmus for their next match against Ireland in Dublin.

There was renewed outrage and anger from Springboks fans on social media over the weekend after Mostert was sent off for a so-called ‘high tackle’ against the Azzurri.

An official statement released on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, opened up that a key element in Franco Mostert’s acquittal was the review of match footage showing that the initial contact was made directly to the opponent’s shoulder.

The statement explained that Mostert, South Africa’s No. 5, had appeared before an independent disciplinary committee on Tuesday via video link after receiving a red card for foul play during the match against Italy on November 15, 2025.

The committee, chaired by Stephen Hardy of Australia and supported by former players Ofisa Tonu’u of New Zealand and Jamie Corsi of Wales, conducted a thorough review of all available evidence, including multiple camera angles and submissions from the players’ representatives.

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Their findings confirmed that while head contact did occur and foul play was present, the incident did not meet the threshold for a red card. The evidence showed that Mostert’s initial contact was directly to the Italian No. 10’s shoulder, with clear separation between that contact and the opponent’s head and neck area.

Officials ruled that any further head contact in the incident was incidental, delivered with far less force, and did not meet World Rugby’s threshold for a red card under its Head Contact Process. Consequently, the sending-off was overturned and removed from Mostert’s disciplinary record, clearing him to feature in this weekend’s squad.

Here's what fans are saying about the World Rugby disciplinary committee's decision on Mostert’s red card against Italy on social media.

Hans Stampanator commented:

"I reckon the TMO and ref should not discuss. Tmo shows the evidence, and ref decides. Seems they talk each other into it sometimes."

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JJ Serfontein reacted:

"At least we won. I feel sorry for the Japanese player whose red card was also retracted. They LOST that game as a direct result of that card!"

Terence Zinn said:

"What if we were playing a top-three game with 14 players, 90% of the game. I am not downplaying Italy, they are a good side. But NZ would have punished us."

Elliot Meyer wrote:

"TMO and Ref should feel the pain where it hurts most, and that should be the pocket. They need to be penalised because of their foolish decisions, so that it can be an example to others that is biased."

Alan Reid shared:

"It will be interesting to see going forward how the ref and tmo get selected for other games or just fade away."

Warren Rumboll added:

"So why is it still yellow if there was nothing wrong with the tackle. WR really are clueless. NRL have the answer, put foul play on review and deal with them on the Monday after the game with fines and or suspensions. We all want to see games decided by the players, 15vs15, not these incompetent officials."

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Rassie Erasmus slams inconsistent head-strike calls after Springboks’ back-to-back red cards

Erasmus on bold substitution vs France

Briefly News also reported that Rassie Erasmus explained the reason behind his bold substitution in South Africa's victory over France.

The Springboks coach decided to sub off some of the veterans of the team, including the captain, Siya Kolisi, who was making his 100th Test cap in the match.

Proofreading by Kelly Lippke, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.

Source: Briefly News