Influential Fiji winger Rupeni Caucau delivered an apology to his country as he reflected on the shame of his forearm smash on Olivier Magne in Brisbane on Saturday.
The Auckland Blues winger, who scored a sensational try in his country's 61-18 defeat at Suncorp Stadium, became the first player to feel the force of the International Rugby Board's (IRB) judicial panel when he was handed a two-match ban for his part in ugly second-half skirmish which marred the contest.
He will now miss tomorrow's encounter with the United States and the weekend clash with Japan but with be available for the crucial meeting with Scotland in Sydney on November 1st.
Even the IRB admitted there were mitigating circumstances for Caucau's attack on Magne, which left the veteran French flanker on the ground, but the player still felt compelled to apologise in the strongest possible manner.
"I wish the judiciary and everybody involved in the World Cup to know how sorry I am for what occured," he said in a statement read by Fiji team manager Joe Brown.
"I come from a remote village in Fiji where I am considered an example for the rest of our people. "Not only have I let them down, but I feel like I have let down the whole of Fiji and betrayed my team-mates.
"When I got involved, I did so because I thought one of my team-mates was helpless and was going to get hurt. I acted instinctively and did not mean to cause any harm.
"When the fight continued, I acted wrongly and shouldn't have struck the French player. I apologise to him and I am pleased he has no suffered any serious injury.
"I am extremely and sincerely sorry for what happened and I hope that the world will forgive me."
The apology is somewhat over the top for the kind of incident which happens regularly in such a physical contact sport, but it does give a measure of the esteem in which Caucau is held in the rugby world at large.
As one of the top five players on view at the World Cup, his absence leaves a massive hole in the Fiji side to face the USA and coach Mac McCallion has asked Vilimoni Delasau to fill the void.