Stade Francais scrum-half Jerome Fillol was yesterday banned for 14 weeks for spitting on Peter Stringer of Bath - a verdict that once again reignited debate about the sport's disciplinary system.
The 35-year-old Frenchman pleaded guilty to the charge of an act 'contrary to good sportsmanship', after TV cameras picked up the incident in last Saturday's Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-final at The Rec.
Anthony Davis, the English judicial officer, considered Fillol's to be a 'top-end' offence and settled on an entry point of 26 weeks.
Yet the tariff was slashed almost in half on account of the player's 'genuine remorse', 'exemplary record' and 'strong character references'. Fillol is free to play again on August 12, with his ban running from April 6 to June 16, then July 15 to August 11 - the gap supposedly reflecting the close-season.
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Bath's director of rugby, Gary Gold, echoed that sentiment, saying: 'It is so important for rugby that Fillol feels the full wrath of the law.'
Ex-England scrum-half Matt Dawson called for the offender to be banned for a year, adding: 'He should be made an example of.'
Instead, this is another infuriating fudge. No-one can deny that 14 weeks is a substantial suspension period, but the devil is in the detail.
The first section of Fillol's ban runs until June 16, but Stade's last game of the season is on May 4, with no hope of a play-off place to create an extension. So, six weeks of the punishment covers a period when the uncapped Fillol may or may not have been picked for a one-off game for the French Barbarians.
Then, the second section of the ban spans a time of pre-season friendlies. So, in effect, the guilty party will miss four meaningful matches.
Furthermore, to return to a familiar theme in this column, huge chunks of a ban should not be knocked off for polite contrition.
Staring at a long suspension, of course, a player will wear a smart suit and say sorry. Of course, their employers and team-mates will vouch for them.
This judgement doesn't represent the 'full wrath of the law' - instead, it highlights its full folly.
Ireland fly-half Jonathan Sexton will become the highest-paid player in France when he joins Racing Metro next season, according to figures released by the Midi Olympique newspaper.
The 27-year-old (right) will reportedly earn a salary of €660,000 (£563,000) a year, ahead of Jonny Wilkinson who is on a reduced €564,000 (£480,000) at Toulon. Welshman James Hook is another imported fly-half in the top five. In comparison, it is believed that the highest earners in the Aviva Premiership are on up to £350,000, with a raft of internationals bringing in annual salaries of £200,000 to £250,000.
Yet, modest pay packets abound, too. Sportsmail has learned of a British Test player who was on a club wage of £30,000 late last year, and one prominent member of Wales' Grand Slam-winning side of 2012 was reputedly earning £15,000 a year at the time of that triumph.
Elite rugby demands body-and-soul commitment to the cause, and, in the wider sporting context, even the top earners provide exceptional value.
Wallabies still looking for elusive 10
With 78 days to go until the first Test against the Lions, Australia are in a state of uncertainty over the identity of their playmaker.
Kurtley Beale is currently in exile due to yet another disciplinary scrape and now another renegade Wallaby, Quade Cooper, has been left out of a provisional 30-man squad chosen by head coach Robbie Deans, for a 'planning camp'.
The gifted maverick has time to force his way back into favour, but the clock is ticking more loudly with every passing week.
James O'Connor has recently switched to No 10 for the Melbourne Rebels but is finding his feet in the role, and the more experienced Berrick Barnes has been injured.
Thousands of miles away in France, Matt Giteau continues to thrive with Toulon - out of sight and out of Deans' mind…
Quote of the week
When asked about calls for scrum reform, England tight-head prop Dan Cole told the Leicester Mercury: 'We have to guard against the competition being taken out of the set-piece. If it (the competition) gets taken out of the game, then I won't have a job and we will end up with 15 Tom Crofts on our hands. Tom Croft is a nice bloke, but do you want a pitch full of him?'
The last word
Harlequins truly opened a can of worms by condemning their own 'supporters' for selling tickets for their Heineken Cup quarter-final at the Twickenham Stoop last Sunday to Munster followers. Quins fans, in turn, are angry about the large contingent of sponsors and corporate guests in the ground, but their presence is an inescapable reality of modern sport when the major events occur.
The club claim that 750 tickets were allocated to organisers ERC and their sponsors, and another 1,800 tickets went to their own 'sponsors, corporate guests, community clubs, players, staff and official charities'.
Those who attend every week resent a sudden influx of occasional spectators at the marquee matches. That is totally understandable, and many of the tickets sold on to Irish visitors no doubt came from such less-than-partisan sources.
Any season ticket-holders or members who cashed in for a quick buck are not the real fans they purport to be. Players are urged to show loyalty, but it must be a two-way street.
More... Saracens and Exeter to honour Thatcher with minute's silence as pressure grows on rest of sport to pay tribute to late former PM French scrum-half Fillol in fresh spitting controversy after Stringer discovers he had spat at him before...14 years ago
