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The Guardian
11-07-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Steve Borthwick meets with referee amid fears of player welfare in Argentina
England go after a series win in the shadow of the Andes with Steve Borthwick urging rugby officials to do a better job of looking out for players after two incidents concerned him in the first Test against Argentina. Henry Slade's tour was ended by a fractured hand in La Plata yet England claim the referee, Angus Gardner, was trying to tell him to get up and not wanting to stop the game. When Charlie Ewels later suffered a finger dislocation 'that went through the skin' they similarly felt rushed to treat him. Borthwick met Luc Ramos, the Frenchman in charge of the second Test, on Friday to flag his concerns. World Rugby is on a mission to speed up the game, but England's head coach says that must not be at the expense of player welfare. 'What was slightly concerning last week was that in both those incidents the referee was trying to play through, trying to carry on, trying to tell the player to get up, we're carrying on,' he said. 'Player welfare is our priority: our number-one priority, our number-two priority, our number-three priority. We've got to be conscious of that. These men work exceptionally hard, they're full of courage. We need to make sure their welfare is looked after. I hope that's the case on Saturday.' Gardner came in for criticism when officiating the pivotal Six Nations match between Ireland and France. Antoine Dupont suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament but the referee chose not to review the incident, which the French rugby federation president, Florian Gill, said he found 'disturbing'. The Australian will run the line on Saturday at the Estadio San Juan del Bicentenario, where England put their faith in the greenest midfield they have fielded for a decade. Luke Northmore makes his debut, a week after Seb Atkinson made his. Not since the centres Slade and Sam Burgess won their first caps together, against France in 2015, have England put such faith in youth. 'We know what a dangerous side Argentina are and how we are going to counter them defensively,' Borthwick said. 'What you've also seen with this England team is that it is one which runs hard and is conditioned to run hard. Luke does exactly that. His post-contact metres are very good. He gives us an opportunity with his power.' As for Atkinson being the senior man in the middle at the age of 23, Kevin Sinfield said he has no worries. 'From the moment he came into camp we were all taken aback at how talented he was,' said England's skills coach. 'He can run like not many others can. He knows the game, so tactically he's where he should be, and technically he's very good too. He has such maturity for a young guy. Sign up to The Breakdown The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed after newsletter promotion Argentina: Elizalde; Moroni, Cinti, Piccardo, Mendy; Carreras, Benítez Cruz; Gallo, Montoya (capt), Gómez Kodela, Petti, Rubiolo, Grondona, González, Matera. Replacements: Bernasconi, Vivas, Delgado, Paulos, Isa, Grondona, Moyano, Roger. England: Steward; Roebuck, Northmore, Atkinson, Muir; Ford (co-capt), Spencer; Baxter, George (co-capt), Heyes, Ewels, Coles, Curry, Underhill, Willis. Replacements: Dan, Rodd, Opoku-Fordjour, Cunningham-South, Pepper, Dombrandt, Van Poortvliet, Murley. 'He was outstanding last week and, without looking too far ahead, you think of the autumn series and the players that then become available [post Lions]. These guys at the minute hold the shirts. If Seb goes well again it will be pretty tough to take that 12 shirt from him.' That is some carrot, though Sinfield is wary of the challenge heading England's way on the basis that, in his estimation, it is easier to react to a disappointment than to build on a real positive. 'But great players and great teams do that. We've got a young, inexperienced group and that is the message we are trying to get across.' Argentina have changed seven of the side beaten 35-12 and are intent on marking the game in which Pablo Matera will become a record-breaking Puma, with his 111th cap, by turning in a far improved performance. It may not be an occasion for the fainthearted.
Straits Times
19-06-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Rugby-Canterbury Crusaders v Waikato Chiefs - Super Rugby Pacific final
Factbox on Saturday's Super Rugby Pacific final between the Canterbury Crusaders and Waikato Chiefs: When: June 21, 5:05 p.m. (0705 GMT) Where: Christchurch Stadium, Christchurch (Capacity: 17,104) Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia) CANTERBURY CRUSADERS Coach: Rob Penney Regular season finish: Second (W-11, L-3) Best performance: Champions (1998-2000, 2002, 2005-6, 2008, 2017-2019, 2020-21 (Aotearoa), 2022, 2023) Team 15–Will Jordan, 14–Sevu Reece, 13–Braydon Ennor, 12–David Havili (captain), 11–Macca Springer, 10–Rivez Reihana, 9–Noah Hotham, 8–Christian Lio-Willie, 7–Tom Christie, 6–Ethan Blackadder, 5–Antonio Shalfoon, 4–Scott Barrett, 3–Fletcher Newell, 2–Codie Taylor, 1–Tamaiti Williams Replacements: 16–George Bell, 17–George Bower, 18–Seb Calder, 19–Jamie Hannah, 20–Cullen Grace, 21–Kyle Preston, 22–James O'Connor, 23–Dallas McLeod WAIKATO CHIEFS Coach: Clayton McMillan Best finish: Champions (2012, 2013) Regular season finish: First (W-11, L-3) Team 15–Shaun Stevenson, 14–Emoni Narawa, 13–Daniel Rona, 12–Quinn Tupaea, 11–Leroy Carter, 10–Damian McKenzie, 9–Cortez Ratima, 8–Wallace Sititi, 7–Luke Jacobson (captain), 6–Samipeni Finau, 5–Tupou Vaa'i, 4–Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 3–George Dyer, 2–Samisoni Taukei'aho, 1–Ollie Norris Replacements: 16–Brodie McAlister, 17–Aidan Ross, 18–Reuben O'Neill, 19–Jimmy Tupou, 20–Kaylum Boshier, 21–Xavier Roe, 22–Josh Jacomb, 23–Etene Nanai-Seturo. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
NZ Herald
21-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Controversial call costs Moana Pasifika in crucial Blues match
In this instance, Moana centre Lalomilo Lalomilo put his foot in touch – an act which was not seen in real time – before flinging the ball back in play, which led to the Blues briefly taking possession, before the ball was turned over and Moana went through a few more phases to score. The failure to spot that Lalomilo had been in touch should have been exactly that in the end – a failure to spot that Lalomilo had been in touch – as, once the Blues had regained possession from his infield pass, that started the clock again. The Blues' brief moment with the ball should have rendered the infringement off-limits in the decision as to whether the try had been legally scored or not. It became a somewhat farcical scene at North Harbour, as referee Angus Gardner and his assistant Ben O'Keeffe tried to make sense of what had happened and what protocol needed to be applied. Moana captain Ardie Savea showed just how confused and confusing the law book can be when he suggested – wrongly as it happens, because this clause has been changed – that the officials couldn't go back more than three phases to determine whether the try should stand. Ardie Savea speaks with referee Angus Gardner as the Moana try is overturned. Photo / Photosport Moana did score a valid try two minutes later, but as always with these sliding door moments – like the Aaron Smith try the All Blacks scored in the World Cup final that was wrongly disallowed – it's impossible to know what impact it would have had on the game, had it stood. Based on what was happening at North Harbour Stadium, though, it's fair to suggest that Moana, who had all the momentum and all the energy in the period leading into Sanerivi's non-try, could have lifted to another level again if they hadn't had to wait for almost two minutes to hear that their score was being chalked off. The waiting, as any team on a surge can testify, sucks the energy and flow out of the contest – and to then hear that the score is not standing is deflating. That may not seem like much, but in the heat of the moment, it can be critical – especially as the prolonged discussion among the officials gave the Blues a chance to recuperate and regather. The bottom line is that it's impossible not to wonder whether that decision was critical in enabling the Blues to hold on to a losing bonus point they may not otherwise have gathered, and then to wonder just how critical that bonus point may be in Moana's quest to secure a place in the playoffs. The Blues and Moana are both on 28 competition points and are fighting, alongside the Hurricanes, for two quarter-final spots. In the course of a 14-game regular season, there will be innumerable incidents and failings that could be highlighted to explain why a team didn't make the last six. But there will always be something truly contentious and frustrating about officiating errors that are made not as a result of law interpretation and application, but as a result of not actually knowing the laws under which the game is being played. In defence of the officials, they are faced with an overly complex and nuanced set of protocols that have been introduced this year by World Rugby and which come with different criteria for different circumstances. If there is an act of foul play discovered in the build-up to a try, then the officials can adjudicate as far back as the last restart of play. If there is a knock-on, forward pass or someone is in touch, they can go back to the last attacking passage of play and if there is an offside or maul obstruction, they can go back two phases (scrum, lineout, ruck or maul) of play. It seems needlessly complex, although TMO Glenn Newman should have had these protocols in front of him to ensure the officials were being advised correctly on the law. It's to be applauded that rugby wants lighter-touch interference from the TMO and a means to use technology without destroying the flow and integrity of the contests. But surely it has to simplify and unify the protocol – and have one standard application of just how far back events can be analysed. Gregor Paul is one of New Zealand's most respected rugby writers and columnists. He has won multiple awards for journalism and written several books about sport.
BBC News
08-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Ireland coach Easterby questions second France try
Ireland interim boss Simon Easterby questioned the awarding of France's second try while lamenting his side's wasteful display in Saturday's Six Nations defeat in Dublin. France moved two points clear at the top of the table before next week's final round of fixtures with a ruthless 42-27 victory over the holders. The second France try - scored by Paul Boudehent - put the visitors 15-13 ahead after Dan Sheehan's score early in the second half briefly gave Ireland the were angered that Boudehent's try was allowed to stand by referee Angus Gardner after Thibaud Flament cleared Peter O'Mahony out of a ruck in the build-up. "We didn't defend well enough in our 22 but there are certain things that happen in a game, in instances like that, which are going to prevent someone [O'Mahony in this case] making a tackle, or be in a position to try and stop that," said Easterby."All teams try and create a bit of space through the ruck and that allows the next player to pick, but it's the judgement over whether that contact on Pete [was] close enough to the ruck to know if it was legal."It was three or four metres from the ruck, so that's something we'll reflect on and feed back to Angus Gardner and his assistant referees. Obviously the TMO also came in and felt it was legal." With a mix of power and counter-attacking speed, France blew Ireland away in the second half, scoring 34 unanswered points to avenge last year's 38-17 loss in Marseille. And while Easterby conceded the French are a "hard team to stop when they have momentum", he bemoaned Ireland's inability to turn pressure into points when they had possession inside France's 22."We certainly felt we didn't take our opportunities or put them under enough pressure," said Easterby. "When we did it wasn't until the last 10 minutes of the game when we could score a decent number of points. But the game was gone."Easterby, who suffered the first defeat of his interim spell, added: "We felt that going in at 8-6 down at half-time we were still well in the game. "We were confident if we started well, which we did, that we could kick on and make them pay in terms of our fitness and our ability to go well in second halves, which we have done in previous games in the tournament. "Unfortunately, we didn't take enough of opportunities in the game in their 22 and we also conceded too easily." Ireland captain Caelan Doris, who was denied an early try when he was held up by Gregory Alldritt, rued his side's ill-discipline with Joe McCarthy and Calvin Nash both sin-binned. "We thought we were in contention at half-time, we felt confident," said Doris, who was making his 50th cap. "We started well and thought we could go on to do it but that 25-minute period in the middle of the second half was where we just weren't good enough - our collisions, our discipline."They can create something from nothing with go forward ball, and that's what happened two or three times in a row."
The Independent
08-03-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Ireland vs France referee: Who is Six Nations official Angus Gardner?
Australia's Angus Gardner takes charge of the crucial clash between Ireland and France on the penultimate weekend of the Six Nations. The 39-year-old official took charge of fixtures at the World Cup in the autumn of 2023 having made his tournament debut as an assistant in England in 2015 before stepping up to the refereeing panel four years later in Japan. He was selected to oversee the semi-final between New Zealand and Argentina at the Stade de France, his first knockout appointment, establishing him as one of the world's leading officials. Born in Sydney, Gardner took up refereeing at the age of 15. He made his Super Rugby debut in 2012, officiating an encounter between the Melbourne Rebels and Queensland Reds. By that stage, he had already made an international debut – in November 2011, Gardner took charge of an Oceania Cup match between Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu in Port Moresby. A Tier One debut followed five years later, setting Gardner on a pathway to refereeing matches at the 2019 World Cup. Match officials for Ireland v France in Dublin Referee: Angus Gardner (Aus) Television Match Official: Ian Tempest (Eng)
