red cards

Barrett has been suspended for 4 weeks after pleading guilty to a high tackle in his side's 27-23 loss to the Blues on Friday night.

He was shown a red card in the 46th minute for his hit on Blues prop Alex Hodgman.

The incident wasn't seen by the referee, but the TMO then instructed the referee to take a look at it and Barrett was sent off.

Prop Ofa Tuuangafasi became just the fifth All Blacks player to be sent off in a test on Saturday when he was given a red card for a high tackle on Wallabies winger Tom Wright in the 24-22 loss to Australia in Brisbane.

"We just have to be better," Coles told reporters on a conference call on Monday.

"We do a lot of tackling practice in the week. We just have to lower our sights and targets to not get those red cards again.

"I suppose it's one on the chin for us."

RNZI reports Monday's clash against Nadi FA is being investigated after both teams were reduced to eight players by the full-time whistle.

Kiwi were 3-1 up inside 21 minutes but a four-goal haul from Nadi's Anish Khem gave the Fijians a stunning comeback win.

Kiwi trio Desmond Fa'aiuaso, Lionel Taylor and Lawrie Letutusa were sent off by the referee and given automatic suspensions.

RNZI reports AS Tefana's Nicolas Vallar and Angelo Tchen and AS Magenta captain Loic Wakanumune were red carded in the latter's 4-2 Group C victory.

In the later game between Samoa's Kiwi FC and Fiji's Nadi FA both teams had three players sent off.

Attention returned to Group C on Match Day 4 at Auckland’s QBE Stadium and there was certainly much for those in attendance to mull over with both fixtures providing no shortage of talking points.

The tone of the action-packed day was set within minutes of the opening game, a typically feisty Francophone derby between New Caledonia’s AS Magenta and their Tahitian rivals AS Tefana, who finished the game with just nine players on the park.