Tomás Albornoz, the fly-half for the Argentina national rugby team, has been issued a four-match suspension following a disciplinary hearing. The ban stems from his behavior toward referee Angus Gardner immediately following the conclusion of Argentina's match against England last month.

According to the disciplinary committee, Albornoz approached the Australian official after the final whistle and made physical contact with him. The committee categorized the interaction as intimidatory. Albornoz did not contest the allegations, accepting the findings of misconduct during the hearing.

As a result of the four-match ban, Albornoz is sidelined for Argentina’s upcoming Test match against South Africa this Saturday. Additionally, he will be unavailable for the team's two-game series against Australia and a scheduled fixture for his club, Toulon. The incident has drawn attention due to the rare nature of physical contact between players and match officials in professional rugby, a sport that places a high premium on the authority of the referee.