Former All Blacks utility Ben Smith had a Top 14 debut to forget, shown a straight red card in his first match for French club Pau on Monday (NZ time).
Smith was sent off by referee Alexandre Ruiz in the 51st minute for an elbow-led fend to the neck of Stade Francais hooker Lucas Da Silva.
Play was stopped immediately as Ruiz consulted with the video referee over the play before giving the 32-year-old a red card.
To make things worse, Smith's club Pau went onto lose the match 21-18.
The match was Smith's second for Pau, having already featured against the Cardiff Blues in the European Rugby Champions Cup.
"We're a little sad for him," Pau coach Frederic Manca said of Smith. "There was no intent to lift the elbow or plant it in the throat."
Last year, Smith announced he would be leaving New Zealand after the 2019 Rugby World Cup to continue his carer with Pau. His contract runs until June 2020. Afterwards, he's expected to head to Japan.
During his time in New Zealand, he played 84 tests for the All Blacks and was a part of the 2015 World Cup-winning side.
