Samoa's Eliota Fuimaono Sapolu is in trouble for his controversial tweets about referee Nigel Owens © Getty Images

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Samoa centre Eliota Sapolu Fuimaono has been suspended from all rugby after he failed to attend a judicial hearing in Auckland on Tuesday after he heavily criticised Welsh referee Nigel Owens on social networking website Twitter.

Sapolu Fuimaono had labelled Owens "biased' and a "racist" after his side's 13-5 Pool D loss to South Africa on Friday and was ordered to appear at a hearing on Tuesday. The IRB said the hearing was adjourned by judicial officer Jeff Blackett when Sapolu Fuimaono failed to appear.

"The judicial officer determined that due to the players failure to attend the hearing he would adjourn the case to an appropriate time when he would face the charges against him," the tournament organisers said in a statement.

"Pending the holding of such hearing he ordered that Sapolu Fuimaono be provisionally suspended from all participation in the game of rugby union."

The Samoan had previously apologised and escaped punishment for an earlier outburst on the social media site in which he compared the scheduling of Samoa's World Cup matches to the holocaust.

Organisers said he had been issued with a formal warning for that initial outburst. The Samoan Rugby Union on Tuesday accepted a charge of failing to properly control the player and Blackett said he would address any sanction against the union when the hearing for Sapolu Fuimaono reconvenes.

The 30-year-old, who plays for English club Gloucester, had said in his expletive-laden tirade last week that he had retired from international rugby after Samoa failed to reach the quarter-finals of the tournament.

Owens had a difficult refereeing display in the match and showed a controversial red card to Sapolu Fuimaono's team mate Paul Williams late on after the fullback struck Heinrich Brussow with an open hand.

The IRB have since backed Owens and appointed him to take charge of the tournament's fourth quarter-final between New Zealand and Argentina in Auckland on Sunday.