World Rugby v. Charles-Henri Berguet

During Belgium's Rugby World Cup 2027 Final Qualification Tournament match against Brazil on 13 November 2025, referee Eoghan Cross issued Charles-Henri Berguet a red card in the 52nd minute under Law 9.11 (reckless or dangerous action), after video review showed Berguet, having been held around the ankles by a late tackle, kicking backward with his right foot and making contact with the side of his opponent's neck. The opponent sustained abrasions consistent with stud marks but no serious injury.

Berguet accepted that foul play had occurred but disputed that a red card was warranted, arguing he had no visibility of his opponent's position and no deliberate or reckless intent — he said he was only trying to free his legs. Under World Rugby Regulations 17.15.3 and 17.16.1(b), the onus fell on Berguet to show the referee's decision was wrong; the Disciplinary Committee, chaired by Nigel Hampton KC with former internationals Ofisa Tonu'u and Jamie Corsi, found he had not met that onus and that the red card was correctly issued. During examination, Berguet told the Committee he was "ashamed" of his reaction and that there was "no excuse" for it.

The Committee went further than simply upholding the card: it found the referee had charged the wrong offence. Because the kick was intentional rather than merely reckless, the Committee held it should properly have been assessed under Law 9.12 (physical abuse, including kicking) rather than Law 9.11, and amended the charge accordingly under Regulation 17.26.2 — a power the Committee could exercise without causing injustice, since the underlying factual allegation (an intentional kick) never changed, and Berguet had been given notice and the chance to respond to the amendment before it was made.

Because the kick made contact with an unprotected area of the neck, the Committee set a mid-range entry point of eight matches. It then applied full available mitigation — Berguet's clean disciplinary record after more than ten years playing, his candid admissions at the hearing, his immediate on-field apology accepted by his opponent, and his expressed remorse — reducing the sanction by 50% to a final four-match suspension, with no aggravating factors found to offset it. The ban ran from 13 November to 13 December 2025 and named four specific fixtures: Belgium's qualifying final against Samoa (18 November) and three club matches for Vannes against Agen, Carcassonne, and Biarritz. Berguet had 48 hours from notification to lodge an appeal.