Top 14 Drilldown: Ronan O'Gara frustrated, Toulon still looking

Your weekly roundup of all the French rugby talking points

La Rochelle's Irish coach Ronan O'Gara reacts prior to the French Top14 rugby union match between Montpellier Herault Rugby and SR La Rochelle at The GGL Stadium in Montpellier, southern France on October 2, 2021.  (Photo by PASCAL GUYOT/AFP via Getty Images)

Referees in the Top 14 have reached for the red card in six of the 35 matches so far this season. They did it twice this week, and brandished 12 yellows into the bargain. That’s not especially interesting — Top 14 referees routinely go hard early on in every campaign.

This, however, is interesting, and puts the lie to claims that red cards by their permanent nature ruin matches. Sides permanently reduced to 14 players in the French top flight this season have won four of those matches and drawn one. Both sides that received a red this week won. One of them was Pau, who have now done it twice, for nearly an hour each time. Stade Francais did it last weekend playing with 14 for 77 minutes.