Ireland flanker Sean O'Brien will miss his team's quarterfinal with Argentina after he copped a one-week suspension for striking France lock Pascal Pape.
But the lenient ban has been met with disbelief as judicial rulings at the Rugby World Cup continue to make a mockery of the disciplinary process.
Outspoken former Samoa international Eliota Sapolu is sensing a conspiracy.
"I think they're anticipating they'll beat Argentina and play the All Blacks so they want their best players available."
Sapolu is not afraid to get stuck into rugby's administrators, having claimed in the past the All Blacks would tour Nazi Germany if Adolf Hitler fronted the money.
Now he is taking aim at World Rugby over the judiciary's treatment of second tier nations, and he might have a point.
Australia's Michael Hooper got just a week for striking England's Mike Brown while his Wallabies teammate David Pocock escaped punishment for a knee on Wales' Scott Baldwin.
Meanwhile, Sapolu's old teammate Alesana Tuilagi initially copped a stunning five-week ban for raising a knee to Japan's Harumichi Tatekawa.
"When you compare it with deliberate acts of violence it's just unconscionable," Sapolu said.
Now it seems the rugby world is starting to take note.
A number of rugby critics have slammed the system and its inconsistencies following this morning's ruling on O'Brien, one even describing tier one membership as "the diplomatic immunity of sport".
Sapolu, who was forced to front the Judiciary during the 2011 World Cup for labelling a referee a racist, goes a step further.
"These are a bunch of old white men and I don't mean to attack white people, so, relax, but they are an old bunch of white men who come in there, have no idea what the legal process entails and what factors you have to evaluate. They are not there for justice," he said.
Sapolu has tried to direct his concerns to the Chief Executive of World Rugby Brett Gosper, but had little response.
When asked what his message to Gosper would be, Sapolu kept it simple.
"Stop being an a**hole," he said.
And if the Irish manage to get past Argentina this weekend, he has another message for Sean O'Brien.
"If he does go ahead and play that game, I hope New Zealand smash them by 100 points and someone punches him."
Now, that would make an interesting judicial hearing.
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