Angus Gardner

2026 Nations Championship

In June 2026, ahead of the first set of matches in the inaugural 2026 Nations Championship, Gardner was appointed the referee the Argentina–England Test match in the final round of the Southern Hemisphere Series. During the match, Gardner, who gave out seven yellow cards (a record for a Test match in rugby), attracted criticism for his inability to assert control over proceedings, with several of his decisions coming under scrutiny. Primary among them was a yellow card shown to England's Ollie Chessum following an altercation with an Argentine player, despite the offending player being Tommy Freeman. Following the final whistle, which came shortly after Gardner and the Television Match Official (TMO) had ruled out a late Argentine try that would have afforded Argentina the opportunity to draw the match with a successful conversion, Gardner was touched on the arm by an Argentine player. Physical contact with match officials is prohibited under World Rugby Law 9.28, which provides that: "Players must not make physical contact with match officials and any incidents can be referred to the disciplinary process." While leaving the field, Gardner was also hurled verbal abuse from the crowd and had an object thrown at him. Former rugby player and commentator Brian Moore, writing in the The Daily Telegraph, said: "World Rugby has a duty to fully investigate these reports and, if there is any truth to them, sanction Argentina in a meaningful way."