Rugby World Cup

Lee-Lo was yellow carded for the incident in the 28th minute, when his shoulder made direct contact with the head of Russian captain Vasily Artemyev.

After the match he was cited along with hooker Motu Matu'u.

Referee Romain Poite and Television Match Official Graham Hughes erred on the side of caution after deciding Artemyev had "dipped" his head going into the tackle.

An independent judicial committee ruled last night that while the fullback did alter his height it was not enough to justify reducing the punishment from a red card.

A four-day turnaround between games has confronted the Webb Ellis Trophy hopefuls with the most hectic period of their Pool C campaign as victory over Tonga in Sapporo is followed by a clash at the Kobe Misaki Stadium 96 hours later.

In a dry-run for the occasion, Jones planned the build-up to last autumn’s 35-15 victory over Japan to mirror the lack of preparation time he must negotiate now.

After losing to Australia last Saturday, Fiji were shocked by an impassioned Uruguay side, who took a 24-12 half-time lead and managed to hold onto a 30-27 win. 

Boasting some world-class players, Fiji were tipped by many to cause some upsets at this year’s RWC with the Wallabies and Wales also in their pool. However, their chances of progressing to the quarter-finals now look very slim. 

The no-arms tackle caught the Fijian flanker in the head in the 26th minute of the Pool D opener in Sapporo on Saturday but the Wallabies utility back was cleared of an offence by the matchday officials, despite the protestations of the Fijian players.

Yato was unable to return to the field after failing a head injury assessment and was also forced to miss Fiji's shock defeat by Uruguay in Kamaishi last night, in line with concussion protocols.

The South Americans, mostly amateurs, led 21-12 at halftime on the back of converted tries from halfback Santiago Arata, number eight Manuel Diana and centre Juan Manuel Cat as well as a penalty from Felipe Berchesi.

First five Berchesi kicked two more penalties in the second half to keep the scoreboard ticking over as the Fijians fought to get back in the game and Los Teros held on to claim their third victory in 12 World Cup matches.

Amosa was injured in a high tackle while scoring a try in Samoa's 34-9 victory over Russia.

Manu Samoa coach Steve Jackson has expressed his sympathy for the hard-running number eight.

Jackson said he has been an outstanding member of the team and he will be missed.

"We are absolutely gutted for him. He is upbeat - but we just need to do what's best for Afa."

Amosa injured his right knee in the act of scoring, just after halftime, in Manu Samoa's 34-9 victory over Russia on Tuesday night.

The late All Blacks great is a World Cup icon, the dominant figure from his two appearances in 1995 and 1999 where he scored what remains a record haul of 15 tries.

Lomu, who battled major kidney problems, passed away at the age of 40 soon after returning from the 2015 tournament in England where he had been heavily involved in promotional work.

The Flying Fijians threatened an almighty upset against Australia on Saturday, leading the two-time champions for large periods of the game in Sapporo before fading in the final stages of the 39-21 defeat.

Captain Dominiko Waqaniburotu, Leone Nakarawa and Semi Radradra are the only players asked to back up in the starting 15 against Uruguay and coach John McKee has challenged the new players in the team to put up their hands and play well.

It was scary times for fans during a scrappy first half, with Samoa playing with only 13 men on the field for almost 10 minutes after two players received yellow cards. But they pulled it back in the second half to secure a 34-9 win over Russia.

Kalala Carmine was one of the more than 20,000 fans there, having travelled from Christchurch with her family to support Manu Samoa, she will be watching all four of their pool matches.

Before the game, she said her heart was going "up and down, up and down" in anticipation.

Hooker Motu Matu'u and halfback Dwayne Polataivao both failed concussions tests during the 34-9 victory in Kumagaya last night, while number eight Afa Amosa suffered what could be a tournament ending knee injury early in the second half.

Coach Steve Jackson, who was already without three key players for their tournament opener, admitted the prognosis was not good.