Tomás Albornoz, the Argentina fly-half, has been banned for four matches for intimidating the referee after the full-time whistle of England’s controversial victory against the Pumas last month.
Albornoz accepted allegations of misconduct at a disciplinary hearing, and that his behaviour was intimidatory, and will miss Argentina’s Test against South Africa on Saturday as well as their forthcoming double header with Australia and a Toulon fixture.
The disciplinary committee noted that Albornoz made contact with the referee Angus Gardner and that the fly-half approached the Australian official on two occasions and had to be restrained by teammates.
The incident occurred after Argentina were denied a last-gasp try against England, which would have given Albornoz a conversion attempt to draw the match, after a lengthy discussion between Gardner and the TMO Brett Cronan. Argentina felt they ought to have been awarded a penalty try, regardless of whether Bautista Delguy grounded the ball legally, for high tackles by Noah Calouri and Henry Slade as the Pumas winger went for the line.
Gardner’s ultimate decision to disallow the try ensured England ran out 31-24 victors in Santiago del Estero, affording the under-fire head coach Steve Borthwick a welcome sigh of relief.
While Albornoz accepted his actions amounted to intimidation of Gardner, he denied that his behaviour was abusive, insulting, offensive or threatening. Both World Rugby and the disciplinary committee agreed, determining Albornoz’s actions were comparable to the low-end entry point for contact with a match official, which carries a six-match suspension.
The committee determined that a four-match ban was more appropriate, having taken into consideration Albornoz’s early acceptance of the charge, his undertakings to issue public and private written apologies and his previously clear disciplinary record. Gardner, meanwhile, will referee the third Test of South Africa’s forthcoming four-match series against New Zealand.
“Tomás Albornoz has been suspended for four matches after admitting misconduct arising from interactions with match officials following Argentina’s Nations Championship match against England on 18 July,” read a World Rugby statement. “In determining misconduct under Regulation 18, the disciplinary committee noted that the Argentina fly-half accepted the misconduct allegations. In particular, he accepted that his conduct, taken as a whole, was intimidatory.
“The committee accepted that contact with referee Angus Gardner, although limited in nature, occurred while disputing a match official’s decision and formed part of that overall course of intimidatory conduct. The committee also noted that Albornoz approached the referee on two separate occasions and had to be restrained by teammates.”
