L’arbitre australien Angus Gardner sera au sifflet de l’affiche Italie-Uruguay, ce mercredi (17h45) à l’Allianz Riviera de Nice. L’officiel de 39 ans dispute actuellement sa deuxième Coupe du monde. Récit de son histoire peu commune.
Un passionné de rugby
Angus Gardner is a true rugby enthusiast. He starts playing at the age of six in his native country, Australia. Originally from Sydney, he plays as a fly-half at Shore School during his formative years. However, as a young teenager, he starts experiencing pains and spasms. Consequently, he goes to the hospital to determine the cause of his discomfort. Unfortunately, the results are not favorable.
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Une maladie héréditaire met fin à sa carrière
« When I was 15 or 16 years old, I was diagnosed with Scheuermann’s disease (a hereditary condition affecting the vertebrae, editor’s note). The doctor told me, ‘Buddy, you need to start fishing,’ » he explains to the Sydney Morning Herald.
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Une maladie rare qui met fin à sa jeune carrière de rugbyman et à ses rêves, car les sports de contact comme le rugby sont vivement déconseillés avec cette pathologie. « Mon pote, j’étais dévasté. Vous pouvez demander à ma mère, j’ai commencé à pleurer à ce moment-là », ajoute Angus Gardner dans une interview accordée à RugbyPass.
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Je ne peux pas reformuler.
Like other referees before him, Angus Gardner turned to refereeing after his dreams of becoming a rugby player went up in smoke. « One of my teachers suggested I try refereeing to stay involved, and that’s how I started, » he explains.
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Des débuts compliqués
And his beginnings do not foreshadow the career he is currently pursuing. « I was ready for anything at that time, but to be honest, I hated it. There were loud parents on the sidelines and I felt the pressure to make the right decisions, but thanks to continuous encouragement, I reached a point where I persevered until the end of school, » he always tells RugbyPass. But as he says, he did not give up and he persisted.
Over time, refereeing has reignited my passion for rugby in terms of the game’s values. I felt like I was part of something. I felt that I had a connection with rugby and it meant something to me, highlights the Australian referee.
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Un des meilleurs arbitres du monde
At the 2018 World Rugby Awards, Angus Gardner is awarded the « World Referee of the Year » prize. That year, he notably officiated his first Super Rugby final between the Crusaders and the Lions in Christchurch. He is considered one of the best in the world and therefore logically participates in his first World Cup in 2019, where he will be in charge of the whistle for France’s inaugural victory against Argentina (23-21).
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Currently, he is participating in his second World Cup, as he has been one of the best referees in the world for a few seasons – 12 are selected as the main referee during the World Cup. He was the main referee during South Africa-Scotland on the first day, and he will be officiating Italy-Uruguay on the third day, Wednesday, September 20th (5:45 PM).
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