Ricky Stuart's decision to stand down as Kangaroos coach was welcomed on Monday by former New Zealand national coach Graham Lowe.

Lowe, who had earlier attacked Stuart's outburst at referee Ashley Klein and match officials director Stuart Cummings, said he thought people should now move on from the incident.

"I am sure he would understand that his reaction to Australia's loss was an overreaction in every sense," Lowe said from New Zealand.

"It (resigning) wouldn't have been easy for Ricky to do but it was the right thing to do."

Lowe, who coached in the Queensland Rugby League and National Rugby League and the United Kingdom as well as Queensland's State of Origin team, said he had quit as coach because of health problems and he understood how Stuart was feeling.

"I have been there and done it and I know exactly how he would have felt," Lowe said.

"I know when you are doing something you love it is bloody hard (to quit) but you just have to do the right thing."

Soon after Stuart's controversial attack on match officials Lowe said New Zealanders were deeply offended at the implication that the Kiwis 34-20 upset had been the result competition organisers wanted.

"It's tarnished the image of Australian sport to the same degree as cricket's under arm incident," Lowe said at the time.

Stuart's decision to stand down on Monday followed two weeks of scrutiny after he was investigated over the abusive outburst at Klein and Cummings in a Brisbane hotel lobby the day after Australia's shock Rugby League World Cup loss to New Zealand.

Stuart was fined $20,000 by World Cup organisers for his actions on Monday.

NZRL chairman Ray Haffenden would not be drawn on Stuart's decision to quit.

"I haven't got any reaction. It is in the hands of the Australian Rugby League to decide what to," Haffenden said.

"It is their (ARL) business what they do. We were not part of the process."

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