Richard Hibbard’s nut-cracking assailant Jone Qovu Nailiko has been banned for just two matches for punching the former Wales hooker well below the belt.

Hibbard was left in a crumpled heap playing for Gloucester against La Rochelle last week when the Fijian struck him low between the legs.

To add insult to painful injury, Hibbard was then accused of faking the injury by Irish referee Andrew Brace.

TV microphones picked up the official, saying: “”I don’t appreciate you throwing yourself on the ground. This is the wrong sport for that.”

The misjudged comment earned the referee a scathing response on social media, including damning verdicts from a number of former players.

Nailiko was later cited for incident during the second-half of his club’s 16-14 defeat in the European Challenge Cup semi-final.

The forward pleaded guilty at a European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) independent disciplinary hearing in Paris on Wednesday.

In a statement, EPCR said: “The committee upheld the citing complaint and determined that the offence had warranted a red card.

“The committee found that the offence was at the low end of World Rugby’s sanctions, and selected two weeks as the appropriate entry point.”

Nailiko had already been sent to the sin-bin for an elbow on Gloucester captain Willi Heinz at Stade Marcel-Deflandre.