'Do not want to live in a world where that happens': Playacting fears as case closed on Suaalii shot

Two former Wallabies have been left bewildered after Gideon Wrampling escaped further punishment for his high shot on Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii on Friday night.

Chiefs centre Wrampling was yellow carded for the hit on Waratahs fullback Suaalii at Sydney's Allianz Stadium but TMO James Leckie decided it was not worthy of an upgrade to red.

The Super Rugby Pacific judiciary agreed with no players cited from the round nine action.

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"I thought direct contract to the head, that should have been upgraded to a red card, straight away," Waratahs president Matt Burke said on Stan Sport's Between Two Posts.

"The first contact was on the jaw and it stunned Joseph at the same time. I see that as a big miss. It should have been 10 in the bin, upgraded to a red."

Suaalii - who was sensationally sent off for a high shot in last year's State of Origin opener - stayed on the field.

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"If that's an 80kg halfback who goes down and needs an HIA then that player's getting cited," ex-NSW star Morgan Turinui said.

"I think we've got to stop being influenced by what happens after the contact... should Joseph go down there? We do not want to live in a world where that happens.

"He stays on his feet, he toughs it out and he plays well. That's what we want. We love the fact that he's OK. But I guarantee that if he hit the deck and stayed down, that'd be a different result."

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A "flabbergasted" Sean Maloney said he "could not abide" the lack of action and pointed out that Reds centre Hunter Paisami had been banned for three weeks this season for what he viewed as a much less dangerous tackle.

"He (Paisami) is basically on the ground, trying to stop... he's not standing upright, chinning a bloke who's six (foot) four (inches)," the Stan Sport commentator said.

"I don't see there's any consistency in those two examples."