Argentina’s Albornoz faces sanction after angry outburst against referee
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Rugby Union - Nations Championship - Argentina v England - Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades, Santiago del Estero, Argentina - July 18, 2026 Argentina's Tomas Albornoz in action with England's Alex Coles REUTERS/Fernando Ariaz
LONDON, July 23 - Argentina flyhalf Tomas Albornoz has been cited by World Rugby's disciplinary committee following his angry outburst towards referee Angus Gardner after his side lost to England in the Nations Championship last weekend.
Albornoz faces possible sanction for confronting the referee after the final whistle at the end of a tempestuous encounter which England narrowly won 31-24 at Santiago del Estero.
Argentina made a furious bid at a comeback in the final minutes but Gardner disallowed a late try for the Pumas that could have earned them an unlikely draw, infuriating some Argentine players, who immediately confronted the referee.
Albornoz, who has been one of Argentina’s star players in recent years, had to be physically restrained by a coaching staff member and then a teammate as he remonstrated with the referee and angrily threw the ball into the ground.
"In line with the remit of the Match Official Abuse Sanction Process, the charges relate to events following the final whistle. Albornoz was seen remonstrating with the match officials following the final whistle. The hearing details will be confirmed shortly,” said World Rugby.
Under World Rugby's disciplinary regulations, threatening acts or language towards a match official can result in suspensions ranging from 12 weeks for the lowest level of offence to 260 weeks for the most serious cases. Verbal abuse of match officials carries bans ranging from six to 52 weeks. REUTERS
