England legend Brian Moore has urged World Rugby to fully investigate reports of referee abuse following Steve Borthwick's side's fractious Nations Championship clash with Argentina.
Match Overview
Sunday's ill-tempered clash in Santiago del Estero saw England follow up their thrashing of Fiji with a 31-24 victory over the Pumas in dramatic circumstances. With the game set against the backdrop of last week's controversial FIFA World Cup meeting between the two nations, there was more than a bit of niggle shown throughout the match, with seven yellow cards handed out.
Four England players and three Argentinians were sent to the sin bin, while there was a missed incident just minutes into match as fly-half Tomás Albornoz appeared to strike Tommy Freeman in the face after the English wing opened the scoring.
Post-Match Controversy
Tensions boiled over even more at the end of the game, as the Pumas had a last-gasp try chalked off in controversial circumstances following a disagreement between referee Angus Gardner and the TMO. Bautista Delguy's try would have levelled the scores in the final seconds but it was ultimately disallowed by Gardner, with Albornoz running over to the Australian official and making physical contact with him.
After the final whistle, members of Argentina's support staff had to keep players away from the referee, while Gardner was also targeted by the crowd as he walked off the pitch, with an item being thrown at him from the stands.
Moore's Call for Action
While he is no stranger to a hostile reception in Argentina, Moore was left thoroughly disappointed with what he witnessed on Saturday, as he called on World Rugby to take the match incidents seriously by investigating them and handing out "meaningful" punishments to the Pumas if necessary.
"What is more disturbing are the reports that the referee, Angus Gardner, was subject to abuse after the game and that something was thrown at him from the crowd," the former England hooker wrote in his column for The Telegraph. "I did not like the sight of Tomas Albonoz, the Argentina fly-half, making light contact with the Australian official after he ruled out their potentially match-tying try. Barge opponents all you want, but players should never be allowed to lay a hand on officials."
"World Rugby has a duty to fully investigate these reports and, if there is any truth to them, sanction Argentina in a meaningful way," he added.
Concerns Over Officiating
Admitting that he feared World Rugby's response to the controversy will not be sufficient, Moore continued: "I have a feeling that World Rugby will want to make light of these claims. But if it does so, it will further discourage people from wanting to participate in officiating and it will be abrogating its responsibilities. Attracting officials is getting harder and World Rugby needs to do all it can to stop this trend."
