The appeal was made by the Central Otago Rugby Referees Association and referee Gary Smith, who disputed a decision made by the Otago Country judiciary last month.
Smith was controlling the match between Upper Clutha and Arrowtown on July 26, which Arrowtown won 32-17.
In the second half, Upper Clutha prop Brent Philpott was sent off by Smith after punching and kneeing a player and abusing a touch judge.
A few minutes later, Arrowtown fullback Hayden Finch was dismissed for referee abuse.
At a subsequent judicial hearing in Cromwell on July 29, Philpott was suspended for 10 weeks; four weeks for the kneeing, two weeks for the punch, and four weeks for the abuse.
Finch was given no suspension but told to attend a course next year on player behaviour.
Smith, and the association, appealed that sentence and an appeal hearing, by telephone, took place in Dunedin last night.
Smith had earlier in the day told the Otago Daily Times he would consider quitting refereeing if the penalty was not increased.
When contacted last night after the hearing, Smith said he was satisfied with the outcome.
The appeal hearing judiciary, headed by Pat O'Dea, ordered Finch to organise a players' forum on referee abuse to be attended by all players, Smith said.
It was not known whether this would be right across Otago.
Smith said if the forum was not organised, Finch would be suspended for four weeks.
Smith said he hoped the forum would set some standards.
He said referees were sent two memos at the start of the season saying referee abuse would not be condoned, and should result in a red card.
"Yet the judiciary has not backed that up with the decision it came up with," he said.
Finch had called him a cheat, which Smith said was abuse.
Smith said last night he would continue refereeing, but said players had to realise they would not have a game without a referee.
Young referees should not have to put up with abuse, which had got worse over the years.
Otago Rugby Football Union amateur rugby manager Justin Gardner declined to comment last night, saying a written decision would be released next week.
Central Otago rugby chairman Colin Walker, who also chaired the first judicial hearing, declined comment.
Upper Clutha premier side manager Steve O'Kane said he had no problem with the penalty handed out to the Upper Clutha player, but there was no consistency in the two penalties.
Before last night's hearing, Arrowtown senior coach Richard Anderson said Finch had never been sent off in his 27-year playing career, so the club wanted to support him.
He knew of players who had been sent off and then escaped further penalty, so Finch's case was not a precedent.
