Italy Coach Quesada Ban Reduced to One Test 2026

Gonzalo Quesada will be back on the Italy bench sooner than expected. The Argentina-born coach successfully appealed his two-Test ban on Friday, with an Independent Disciplinary Committee in Perth cutting the punishment to a single match — meaning he misses only Saturday's Nations Championship clash against Australia at HBF Park.

The ban stemmed from a TV interview Quesada gave after Italy's 47-17 hammering by the All Blacks in Wellington last week, in which he labelled French referee Luc Ramos as "super poor" and took aim at the Nations Championship scheduling. World Rugby moved swiftly, suspending him under the newly introduced Match Official Abuse Sanction Process — a rule that came into effect only this month.

Quesada fronted the disciplinary committee in Perth and came out with his sentence halved. He wasted no time making his public apology. "I have apologised privately to Luc Ramos and want to do so publicly," Quesada said in a statement. "He is a referee who deserves to officiate at this level, and I have the utmost respect for him, as for all match officials."

The Italian coach was equally candid about the wider responsibility that comes with his platform. "Discussions about refereeing should take place in the appropriate places, and not in public — the words of us coaches and players carry weight and can contribute to criticism or abuse of referees, particularly on social media. I deeply regret if my comments played a role in this."

The timing matters for Italy. After that Wellington mauling, the Azzurri cannot afford further disruption heading into Perth. Australia, themselves beaten 26-42 by France in round two, are under their own pressure — making Saturday's match a pivotal contest for both sides in the Nations Championship standings. Quesada will be watching from the stands this weekend, but his return game is already circled on the calendar.