There's been an update on the Gonzalo Quesada match-day ban

Italy head coach Gonzalo Quesada has received an update one-match suspension and a formal warning following an independent disciplinary hearing into comments he made about match officials after Italy’s Nations Championship defeat to New Zealand.

Quesada said referee Luc Ramos was “super poor” and implied the margin of the defeat was increased due to the officiating of the French referee.

Quesada was initially handed an automatic two-match ban under World Rugby’s Match Official Abuse Sanction Process, which was introduced to deal with public criticism of referees and other match officials. However, the former Argentina international exercised his right to refer the case to an independent disciplinary committee for a full de novo hearing.

After considering submissions from both Quesada and World Rugby, the panel concluded that the threshold for misconduct had been met. The committee, made up of Jennifer Donovan (Ireland), Wang Shao-Ing (Singapore) and Valeriu Toma (Romania), then reviewed a range of mitigating factors before determining the final sanction.

The World Rugby statement reads: “An independent Disciplinary Committee has imposed a one-match suspension and issued a formal warning as to future conduct on Italy head coach Gonzalo Quesada for comments criticising match officials following Italy’s defeat to New Zealand in last weekend’s Nations Championship match.

“In line with the remit of the Match Official Abuse Sanction Process, Quesada was originally issued with a two-match automatic suspension for criticism aimed at match officials following Italy’s match. Quesada opted to formally refer the matter to an independent committee for a full misconduct hearing.

“Having considered submissions from Quesada and his representatives, as well as from World Rugby, the committee, comprising Jennifer Donovan (Ireland), Wang Shao-Ing (Singapore), and Valeriu Toma (Romania), determined that the threshold for misconduct had been met.

“With respect to the sanction, having taken into account all aspects of the case, including the written and oral submissions made by Quesada, his private written apology to the referee upon reflection on the comments he had made, and his acceptance that his actions fell short of the standard expected of someone in his position, the committee determined that a one-match suspension (a reduction of one match) was appropriate along with a public apology and a formal warning as to future conduct.

“The suspension applies with immediate effect, meaning Quesada will miss Italy’s Nations Championship match against Australia in Perth on 18 July.”