Tonga hooker Paula Ngauamo has been given a seven-week ban for kicking an opponent in the face during his country's Rugby World Cup victory over the United States.

The incident was not spotted during Tonga's 31-19 victory on Sunday, but Ngauamo was cited after the game for an act of foul play.

Ngauamo, who argued he had "acted recklessly, not deliberately", did not attend the hearing and was given a hefty ban by the judicial panel having already been suspended twice in the past four years.

With Tonga already eliminated from the World Cup, Ngauamo will miss seven weeks of the new Top 14 season for his club Agen.