SerpApi.Org
Tomás Albornoz, the Argentine fly-half, has been charged with misconduct by World Rugby for his behaviour after the final whistle in Saturday’s defeat by England.
At the end of the Test in which England clung on for a 31-24 victory in Santiago del Estero, Albornoz remonstrated with referee Angus Gardner and made contact with the match official before team-mates and a Pumas staff member ushered him away.
Later, the Argentine was seen throwing the match ball to the turf and marching away in disgust.
World Rugby announced on Wednesday that Albornoz had been issued with misconduct charges relating “to events following the final whistle”, where he was seen “remonstrating with match officials”.
Albornoz’s annoyance stemmed from the match’s thrilling finale in which Argentina believed they should have been awarded a penalty try for one of two high tackles – from Noah Caluori and Henry Slade – on Bautista Delguy as the Pumas wing attempted to score in the corner. Delguy’s grounding and both tackles were ruled out by the television match official (TMO) Brett Cronan along with Gardner.
Delguy also remonstrated with the referee after the game and appeared to shout and wave at him, but the wing showed more restraint than Albornoz.
A World Rugby statement added: “[Albornoz’s] hearing details will be confirmed shortly. The Match Official Abuse Sanction Process was introduced to complement Regulation 18 and provide a clearer and more consistent framework for addressing public criticism of match officials, particularly where such comments may contribute to wider online abuse.
“Developed by a cross-game working group including competition owner, match official, playing and coaching representation and championed by Union CEOs, the process reflects a unified commitment to support and protect match officials.”
Under World Rugby’s new Match Official Abuse Sanction Process, which features across all international rugby fixtures involving World Rugby-appointed match officials, Albornoz’s potential sanction ranges from an automatic two-match ban to 18 weeks if found guilty of physical misconduct against Gardner.
The Nations Championship match, which took place only a few days after the two countries had met in a hostile football World Cup semi-final, is the latest in a series of ill-tempered clashes between the teams. Telegraph Sport understands that both sides, along with Gardner, shared the same charter flight from Santiago del Estero to Buenos Aires on Sunday, and the atmosphere is believed to have been tense.
After the match, Felipe Contepomi, the Argentina head coach, walked out of his press conference and accused England of a “lack of respect” because celebratory music could be heard emanating from their changing room.
Last autumn, Contepomi described Tom Curry as “a bully” after a tackle on Juan Cruz Mallía in England’s 27-23 win at the Allianz Stadium which injured the full-back’s knee and ruled him out for the season. Contepomi and Curry are believed to have buried the hatchet before Saturday’s match, however.
Remarkably, there are no other citings from England’s win in Santiago del Estero, which included an incident in which Albornoz appeared to strike England wing Tommy Freeman.
The Nations Championship and the Unión Argentina de Rugby are, however, continuing to investigate whether a projectile was launched at Gardner as he returned to the changing rooms after the match.
Will Greenwood
That England vs Argentina match was everything I hate about modern rugby
