Italy legend Sergio Parisse was shown a red card at the weekend, and was filmed crying in the changing rooms following his dismissal.
The incident occurred in a Top 14 match between French giants Toulon and Toulouse. The former Azzurri captain has been plying his trade for Toulon since his retirement from the national side after the 2019 Rugby World Cup, he spent the majority of his career with Stade Francais.
Veteran Parisse spear tackled Toulouse centre Pierre-Louis Barassi after 30 minutes, and upon review was promptly given his marching orders, shaking hands with referee Pierre-Baptiste Nuchy before leaving the field of play. The 39-year-old was clearly emotional in the changing rooms, but that wasn't all down to his dismissal.
Here is footage of the red card tackle.
As reported by Yahoo France, the iconic back row lost his father earlier that week.
Toulon manager Franck Azema said it had been an emotional week for Toulon as a team, "There was the death of Sergio's dad, the birth of Cheslin's child (Kolbe), the next day they were both in training and wanted to play."
Take a look at the emotional moment below.
Parisse was joined by long time rugby friends Raphaël Lakafia and fellow legend Mathieu Bastareaud.
With 142 international caps, Parisse is experienced enough to know when he's out of line on the rugby field, but nothing can prepare you for the death of a loved one.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, Parisse's Toulon won 17-6. However, the victors are still 15 points adrift of league leaders Toulouse.
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