A little too late, Angus, but at least you’ve finally come to your senses.

Plenty has been written and said about the controversial ending to the Springbok test against the English at Twickenham earlier this month, with referee Angus Gardner proving very unpopular around these parts.

You can tell Rassie Erasmus wasn’t impressed, either, given that he took the piss with his tackle technique during training.

With the dust having settled, and without a sell-out home crowd to sway his decision, Angus has had a change of heart.

Below from the Telegraph:

“I think in hindsight now, having discussed it with some other referees… I think the general consensus would be that a penalty was probably the outcome there that should have been given,” Gardner told Rupert Cox on Sky Sports’ Will Greenwood podcast.

“I think we need to see a wrap with both arms, and I think in hindsight – although he got pinned – there wasn’t a big enough wrap from both arms, really. There was a wrap with one arm, but there wasn’t a wrap with the other arm.”

Gardner, who was named referee of the year at the World Rugby Awards, said he made his decision due to only seeing front-on angles of the collision which didn’t make it clear whether Farrell had wrapped his arms.

Yup, referee of the year. Again, a little too late.

You know who definitely hasn’t learnt from the experience? Owen bloody Farrell, who put in this hit on Ozzie Izack Rodda over the weekend.

Does this guy actually have arms?

I hate Ozzie coach Michael Cheika with a passion, but this time around he does have a point.

With the Boks having come up well short against Wales this past weekend, and Rassie’s stats at the end of his first year under the microscope, I don’t see Gardner being welcomed to South Africa with open arms any time soon.

[source:telegraph]