Gardner picked up the whistle in 1999 at the young age of 15 at Shore School in North Sydney after a back injury trampled his chances of becoming a professional rugby player.
He was appointed to his first test match 12 years later in an Oceania Cup match between Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu in Port Morseby.
The following year would mark his Super Rugby debut, the same year he was appointed to the IRB Junior World Championship.
The Australian took charge of the semi-final between England and Ireland in 2014 and became a full-time referee in 2015.
Now regarded as one of the most experienced Super Rugby referees having taken charge of 72 matches, he was awarded the World Rugby Referee of the Year accolade in 2018.
The following year he refereed 10 Super Rugby matches and refereed at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.
Gardner took charge of the Wales v Scotland clash in the 2020 Six Nations, with the tournament highlighting his long and successful relationship with the whistle.
