The NRL have conceded Francis Molo should have been sin-binned for a high shot on Stefano Utoikamanu that has left Tonga’s Pacific Championships campaign on life support.

Utoikamanu’s Tonga debut against Samoa lasted just 90 seconds last Sunday when he was poleaxed by a Molo hit which ended his afternoon – then ruled him out of Sunday’s clash with New Zealand at Eden Park as part of the game’s concussion rules.

The Storm prop will now miss out on $3000 in match payments for the Kiwis clash – nearly ten times the $390 Molo was fined by the match review committee. Utoikamanu told this masthead at the start of the week he was not impressed with the tackle, saying, “I don’t know what more evidence you need to sin bin someone.”

Tongan coach Kristian Woolf asked the NRL for an explanation

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