World Rugby bans Italy coach Gonzalo Quesada for two games over referee comments

In an interview after Italy's 47-17 thrashing in the Nations Championship, Quesada said referee Luc ​Ramos was 'super poor'

BANNED: Gonzalo Quesada, head coach of Italy, has copped a two game ban for comments made in the wake of Nations Championship loss to New Zealand. Pic: Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images

Italy coach Gonzalo Quesada has been suspended for two matches under new World Rugby guidelines confronting abuse of match officials.

Quesada was automatically sanctioned for “comments made in broadcast and subsequently reported” after Italy lost to New Zealand 47-17 last Saturday in the Nations Championship in Wellington.

Italy played the last 30 minutes down a man after lock Niccolò Cannone was initially sin-binned by referee Luc Ramos for head-butting and it was upgraded to a permanent red card. Cannone has since been suspended for four matches.

Quesada is banned from all match-day activity and can’t be in the stadium. He will miss Italy’s next two Nations matches against Australia in Perth on Saturday and South Africa in Turin on Nov. 7. He can appeal.

Among his post-match comments on Saturday: “I think the refereeing team was partly to blame for the score. They made a lot of mistakes today. That said, I think the All Blacks absolutely deserved the win; they played an extraordinary game.

“I think the decision against Niccolò was harsh. It obviously forced the team to play with 10 men for a very long time. Every minute against the All Blacks lasts more than 60 seconds; playing with 10 men against them is really tough.” 

World Rugby said it started a new match official abuse sanction process across all international rugby this month, after it was agreed at the last annual Shape of the Game forum in February in London.

The process “is targeted at reducing comments which often are the basis of the unacceptable increase in abuse and threats towards match officials.”

Associated Press