Italy lock Sara Tounesi has received a 12-match ban for biting a Japan player during their Women’s World Cup match in Auckland on Sunday.

The 27-year-old, who was cited after the match, has the right to appeal the independent judicial committee’s ruling within 48 hours.

As it stands, Tounesi will miss Italy’s World Cup quarter-final against France on Saturday.

The committee considered evidence from the victim (whose identity was not revealed in the World Cup news release on Tuesday), Tounesi, and the video footage of the incident.

They concluded that Tounsei bit a Japanese player, an offence that merited a red card.

The committee decided that the appropriate entry point was mid-range (18 matches) but having regard to her mitigation, reduced the sanction to 12 matches.