Occasionally I hear comments about how referees seem to use the sin bin differently.  One referee will send a person to the sin bin for trampling and another will not. The reason for this example is two-fold: (1) there are various degrees of trampling, each needing a separate consideration when it comes to use of the sin bin; and (2) we don't have clear standards for use of the sin bin. The Law Techie within me thought I could put down a clear set of standards and thereby eliminate the second problem.  But I soon discovered (yet again) that things aren't always black and white.  Oh well, I can still share with you my thoughts on how the sin bin might be used for various offenses.

First let me say that the sin bin should be used exclusively for "foul play" (Law 26) situations.  According to Law 26, foul play is any action by a player which is contrary to the letter and spirit of the Game and includes obstruction, unfair play, misconduct, dangerous play, unsporting behavior, retaliation and repeated infringements.  Notice some fairly substantial infringements, such as offside, cannot be punished with the use of the sin bin.  However, repeated offside infringements can be dealt with under Law 26(2) - Unfair Play, Repeated Infringements.   Another important thing to remember is that a player may be cautioned without being sent to the sin bin.  On the other hand, if a player is sent to the sin bin, he must be cautioned.

The first offense discussed in Law 26 is obstruction - Law 26(1).  I don't consider the act of obstruction as a sin bin offense any more than I consider offside a sin bin offense.  If a player obstructs, I recommend the first offense be penalized with a penalty kick.  If he does it again, I would raise the punishment to a penalty kick and a caution not to repeat the offense again.   Notice I recommend cautioning the player, but not sending the player to the sin bin.  If the player commits a third obstruction offense, he is now guilty of "repeated infringements - Law 26(2) - and he should be punished accordingly.  In this case, he has violated a caution so I would send him off.  Once a player has been cautioned, a repeat of the infringement should result in a send off, not a sin bin.

The next offense discussed in Law 26 is unfair play and repeated infringements - Law 26(2).   If a player deliberately plays unfairly or willfully infringes a law, we have precedent provided by other Laws.  For instance, we know from Law 17(1) that a willful knock on is penalized with a penalty kick.  Thus the first offense of deliberately playing unfairly or willfully infringing a law should be punished with a penalty kick.  I am not talking about infringements that are clearly dangerous; those types of infringements will be discussed later.  I would penalize the second offense of deliberately playing unfairly or willfully infringing a law with at least a penalty kick and a caution, and if I felt the infringement was severe enough I would also send the player to the sin bin.  For instance, if the repeat offense was willfully throwing or knocking the ball into touch, or if the repeat offense were some other form of willful waste of time, I would award a penalty kick and a caution, but I would not send the player to the sin bin.  On the other hand, if the repeat offense was a willful violation of offside in front of the defender's goal line by the same player who did this earlier, I might very well send the player to the sin bin.

We can also apply the concept of "repeated infringements" to acts committed by more than one player.  These acts are often called "professional fouls."  Depending on the impact of the professional foul I would elect one of three punishments: (1) penalty kick and caution, (2) penalty kick, caution and sin bin or (3) penalty kick and send off.  There is no black & white rule to apply in deciding which of the three options to use, but let me give an example of how I might use the progression of options.  If different players were repeatedly offside in front of their goal line, I would award a penalty kick and caution for the first offense.  If they do it again later in the match, I would throw in the sin bin.  If the repeated infringements persisted as a consequence of acts by a previously cautioned player, then I would send him off.

A couple of comments related to professional fouls in near the defender's goal line.  All the above actions should be punished as described, but if the referee feels that the infringement probably stopped a try from being scored, he should award a penalty try rather than a penalty kick.  The other point I wish to make is that the IRB has data to show that, on average, the team who has a player in the sin bin gives up seven points.  Thus, if a referee awards a penalty try and if he sin bins the offender, there is a good chance the non-offending team will score an additional 7 points.

Now we get into the more serious types of foul play infringements - dangerous play.  Subsections (a) through (i) of Law 26(3) list nine specific acts that are considered dangerous play.  This itemization of nine acts is not comprehensive so the lawmakers have thrown in a subsection (j) that says misconduct (acting in a way that is prejudicial to the spirit of good sportsmanship) is also foul play.  It is subsection (j) that covers such acts as biting an opponent or punching a referee - neither of these acts is specifically covered in Law.

Law 26(3)(a) says it is illegal for a player to strike an opponent.  Well, there are all kinds of ways to strike an opponent.   The act can be a slap on the face or it can be a head butt.  There are times when the referee has seen a punch thrown in retaliation, and it may be appropriate to have a word of admonishment (this is not a caution) and penalize the player.  Pugilistic encounters on the rugby pitch have a variety of causes, intentions and consequences; as a result, they can be punished by the gamut of options from penalty kick (only) up to send off.  On the other hand, there are several acts of striking that are cause for immediate send off, such as head butting, eye gouging, grasping of the genital area, and being the third man into a fight and throwing a sucker punch.  At the end of this article, I have tabulated some examples striking infringements and how to deal with them.

Law 26(3)(b) says it illegal to trip, hack or trample an opponent.  The first offense for tripping is usually punished with a penalty kick.  If the same player does it again, he should get sin binned.  If he was cautioned after the first offense, then he has to be sent off rather than sent to the sin bin.  The act of kicking an opponent is cause for immediate send off, but the act of trampling an opponent has various consequences depending on the nature of the infringement.  No matter what the intent (deliberate or accidental), if a player tramples an opponent on the head, the punishment is immediate send off.  On the other hand, if the player tramples an opponent on the body or legs in an effort to get to the ball lying in close proximity, the punishment can be as mild as a penalty kick.  If the body or legs are not in close proximity to the ball, the act of trampling should be interpreted as willful and the infringer should be sin binned or possibly sent off.  A repeat offense of trampling by the same player, even if the first offense was not cautioned, should be cause for send off, not for sin bin.

Law 26(3)(c) discusses dangerous tackle situations, including early and late tackles.  Generally speaking, an early or late tackle is punished with a penalty and possibly a caution, but not the sin bin.  If the early or late tackle is also executed dangerously, then the sin bin might be appropriate even if this is the first offense.  Any tackle that is dangerous, including a "tackle" of a ball carrier already lying on the ground should be punished according to the severity of the infringement and the circumstances of the game.   For instance, a stiff arm tackle as an isolated incident may warrant only a penalty kick and a caution.  That same tackle in a venomous game should result in a sin bin if the players need some time to "cool off" or a send off if the intent was clearly premeditated.  Any repeat offense of early, late or dangerous tackle should be punished with use of the sin bin or possibly immediate send off.

Law 26(3)(d) says it is illegal to charge or obstruct a player who has just kicked the ball.  Usually the kicker is in a precarious position immediately after the kick, but if the contact is perceived to be more of a "brush by" rather than a hard hit, it is appropriate to award a penalty kick with an admonishment.  If the act has some hard contact involved, then a caution should accompany the penalty kick.  If the act is clearly dangerous, then it is appropriate to sin bin the offender.  A similar logic should apply to holding, pushing or obstructing an opponent (including the kicker well after he has kicked the ball), which are infringements discussed in Law 26(3)(e). 

Laws 26(3) (f), (g) and (h) deal with dangerous play at scrums - charging by the front row, willful lifting of a front row opponent, and willful collapsing of the scrum.  There is no magic recipe for dealing with these infringements.  Typically the first offense is penalized with a penalty kick.  On some occasions the act may warrant a caution as well.  On rare occasions I might sin bin a player for the first offense, such as when I have previously advised (without penalizing) a prop to consider the safety of his opponent and then the idiot willfully collapses the next scrum.   Clearly, any player who willfully repeats dangerous front row play should be sin binned if not sent off immediately.

Law 26(3)(i) prohibits foul play or misconduct while the ball is out of play, and Law 26(3)(j) prohibits any act that is prejudicial to the spirit of good sportsmanship.  For infringements of these two laws, the nature of the punishment should reflect the act committed.  For instance, an isolated incident where a player runs into touch and then is pushed by an opponent might be punished with only a penalty kick.  On the other hand, if a player slugs a referee in the face, the only suitable punishment is an immediate send off.

The table below uses the following numerical codes for penalties:

  1 = Penalty Kick
  2 = Penalty Kick with caution
  3 = Penalty Kick with sin bin and caution
  4 = Penalty Kick and send off
  NA = Not Applicable for a repeat offense because the of the send off on the first offense

Recommended Penalties for Foul Play Infringements