Angus Gardner

Angus Gardner (born 24 August 1984) is a professional Australian rugby union referee who was appointed to the Super Rugby referees panel in 2012.

He refereed the 2018 Super Rugby final between the Crusaders and the Lions in Christchurch.

In 2025, Gardner was appointed the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific final between the Crusaders and the Chiefs in Christchurch.

2026 Nations Championship In June 2026, ahead of the first set of matches in the inaugural 2026 Nations Championship, Gardner was appointed the referee the Argentina–England Test match in the final round of the Southern Hemisphere Series. During the match, Gardner, who gave out seven yellow cards (a record for a Test match in rugby), attracted criticism for his inability to assert control over proceedings, with several of his decisions coming under scrutiny. Primary among them was a yellow card shown to England's Ollie Chessum following an altercation with an Argentine player, despite the offending player being Tommy Freeman. Physical contact with match officials is prohibited under World Rugby Law 9.28, which provides that: "Players must not make physical contact with match officials and any incidents can be referred to the disciplinary process." While leaving the field, Gardner was also hurled verbal abuse from the crowd and had an object thrown at him. Former rugby player and commentator Brian Moore, writing in the The Daily Telegraph, said: "World Rugby has a duty to fully investigate these reports and, if there is any truth to them, sanction Argentina in a meaningful way."

Honours World Rugby Referee of the Year: 2018