World Rugby has confirmed that Australian referee Angus Gardner has stepped down from his duties for the two-Test series between the Springboks and Ireland for personal reasons.
Gardner was set to take charge of the opening Test of the series at Loftus Versfeld on 6 July.
However, the Australian has now withdrawn from his duties for personal reasons, leading World Rugby to appoint a new referee for the match, where the Springboks will take on Ireland in South Africa for the first time since 2016.
England’s Luke Pearce has been appointed as Gardner’s replacement. The 36-year-old took charge of his first Premiership final last year, while he was also one of four English referees at the 2023 World Cup.
“World Rugby has confirmed that Angus Gardner (Australia) has withdrawn from officiating duties for the two-test series between South Africa and Ireland for personal reasons. The Australian will be replaced by Luke Pearce (England) as referee for the first Test and also as assistant referee for the second Test,” a World Rugby statement said.
“As a consequence of the change, there are also further amendments to the appointments, including Christophe Ridley (England), replacing Pearce as assistant referee for Japan v Georgia on 13 July.”
Photo: ANDRES LARROVERE/AFP/Getty Images
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Src: sarugbymag.co.za
