Former All Blacks first-five Aaron Cruden had a day to forget in Japan's Rugby League One, shown a red card for a cleanout against Springboks halfback Faf de Klerk.
With his Suntory Sungoliath side down 5-0 in the opening minutes of the encounter against Canon Eagles, Cruden scored their first points, when he latched onto a kick from Japan fullback Kotaro Matsushima.
However, the former Chiefs playmaker quickly went from hero to villain, when his shoulder connected with the head of de Klerk, as he attempted to clear the ball from a ruck.
After a TV review, Cruden was given his marching orders, shown a straight red card to leave Suntory with 14 men for 53 minutes.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, they were still able to close out a 32-23 victory.
De Klerk was also in trouble with the officials during the match and was yellow-carded, after taking out a kicker from an offside position.
The victory raises Suntory to second in League One's first division, with two wins and one loss from their first three matches, behind leaders Saitama Wild Knights, where Robbie Deans is rugby director.
