Arbitrator Angus Gardner admits that he was wrong to make his decision to tackle "without arms"

Referee Angus Gardner admitted that he should have punished England, Owen Farrell, for his "unarmed tackle" near the first leg against South Africa earlier this month. this.

England won its first game of the international series 12 to 11, but South Africa missed the opportunity to win the match when Gardner decided not to penalize Farrell for his success on Andre Esterhuizen.

Farrell was involved in a similar controversy on Sunday when he was escaping the penalty for a hit on Wallabies Izaak Rodda's lock, still without using weapons, during trials at Twickenham.

Gardner examined the tackle of Esterhuizen on the big screen in Twickenham and decided that no offense had been committed. If he had penalized Farrell, the Springboks would have kicked the goal to win the match, the The telegraph of the day reported.

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South Africa was upset with Gardner's decision and his comments now that he realized he had made the wrong call was probably not going to calm them down.

"I think with hindsight now, having discussed it with other referees … I think the general consensus would be that a penalty would probably be the result that should have been imposed," he said. Gardner told Rupert Cox in: Sky sports"Will Greenwood podcast.

"I think we need to see a bandage with both arms, and I think that in hindsight – although it was stuck – there was not enough bandage for them. two arms, really, there was a bandage with one arm, but there was not one. " t an envelope with the other arm. "

Gardner stated that he only saw frontal angles, which made it unclear whether Farrell had wrapped both arms in the tackle.

Gardner was named referee of the year at the World Rugby Awards in Monte Carlo on Monday, NZT.