France flanker Axelle Berthoumieu has seen her ban for biting in Sunday's Rugby World Cup quarter-final victory over Ireland reduced from 12 to nine matches on appeal.
Berthoumieu had been banned for 12 matches, reduced from 18, after she was found to have bitten Irish back-row Aoife Wafer early in the the second half of France's 18-13 quarter-final win in Exeter on Sunday.
Irish co-captain Sam Monaghan raised the issue with the match referee during the game but no sanction resulted and World Rugby today said television match official Ian Tempest was unable to find sufficient evidence of the bite at the time.
At the independent foul play review committee on Monday, Berthoumieu disputed the severity of the sanction.
An independent disciplinary committee on Tuesday found that because of a procedural error her suspension was too long, resulting in the three-game reduction.
Berthoumieu - pictured below - will play no further part in the World Cup, missing Saturday’s semi-final showdown with England and the final or bronze final the following weekend.
Her France team-mate Manae Feleu has also been ruled out of the rest of the tournament because of a three-match ban for a dangerous tackle.
Watch New Zealand v Canada in the Women's Rugby World Cup semi-finals on Friday from 6.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player
