Italy head coach Gonzalo Quesada has had his suspension reduced from two games to one following a disciplinary hearing over his criticism of the referee, World Rugby announced on Friday.
The automatic two-match ban had been imposed after Italy's 47-17 loss to New Zealand last week in the Nations Championship. Quesada had breached World Rugby's new match official abuse guidelines, which came into effect this month. The Argentine coach sought a hearing, and an independent disciplinary panel chose to reduce the suspension to a single match, coupled with a public apology and a formal warning on future conduct.
The panel said the threshold for misconduct had been met but took into account Quesada's acceptance that his actions "fell short of the standard expected," as well as the private written apology he had already sent to referee Luc Ramos.
