UPDATE 1-Rugby-Wales coach Howley handed nine month suspension following betting rules breach

Former Wales assistant coach Rob Howley has been banned from involvement in the game for 18 months, with nine months suspended, after breaching betting rules, the Welsh Rugby Union said on Monday.

Former Wales international Howley, 49, was sent home four days before the start of the Rugby World Cup in Japan over potential breach of betting regulations. "After a thorough and detailed investigation by the WRU, Howley's case was heard in Cardiff by an independent panel, chaired by Sir Wyn Williams," the WRU said in a statement.

"The panel has submitted its decision, which has been shared with World Rugby." The investigation found Howley placed 363 bets on rugby union between November 2015 to September 2019, featuring 1,163 matches in total.

In that same period he placed 24 bets on "connected events", with some involving matches in which Wales were participating. The report said Howley accepted the charge laid against him "without qualification" and was "remorseful and very anxious" about the effect his actions had on his family.

The suspension is backdated to his withdrawal from Wales' World Cup campaign on Sept. 16, 2019, meaning he would be free to return to the game on or after June 16, 2020.