LIST: Wayne Barnes ranks the THREE toughest players he’s officiated

Wednesday, 18 August 2021 at 09:00

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byRugby Rucker

Wayne Barnes is a fabulous referee. With over 16 years of refereeing experience under his belt, Barnes gave BTSport.com a unique insight into his career: including the toughest players he's had to referee.

Barnes, a barrister by trade, doesn’t do sentimental when the letter of the law needs to be exercised. However, here are three players he's had issues dealing with on the pitch down the years.

DID YOU KNOW? Wayne Barnes was once voted the third most-hated man in New Zealand after his failure to spot a France forward pass that helped dump the All Blacks out of the 2007 World Cup.

#3. Richie McCaw

"I’ve been on the field with some of the great captains, John Smit, Sam Warburton and Richie McCaw," said Barnes.

"Richie always had the knack of asking the right question at the right time, sometimes it felt like I was losing a little bit of control.

"Contrary to popular belief, he didn’t talk a lot on the field. He knew the law book inside out and so when he asked a question, he often had a point."

DID YOU KNOW? His other sporting passion is flying and he was made an honorary Squadron Leader in the Royal New Zealand Air Force in 2010

#2. Martin Johnson

“I was always petrified of Martin Johnson because he was coming to the end of his career when I started in the Premiership." said Barnes.

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“2003 was my first [season] and obviously that was towards the end of his career and I remember I had to sin-bin him once and I actually apologised as I did it.

“I said ‘I’m very sorry I have to do this’ because he’s such a big personality. I guess he was always someone who scared me witless!”

DID YOU KNOW? he comes from a sporting family. His great-grandfather was a wrestler

#1. Andy Goode

"He always made me smile as he made me look athletic when we were on the same pitch.

"However, the humorous players always keep you on your toes and if they get opportunity to pick you up on a slight faux pas, they will.

"I once mentioned to Andy Goode that him and his team mates were all appealing for far too many decisions and told him that it sounded like there were 15 referees on the pitch. “And you’re not even in the top 10” was his reply."

DID YOU KNOW? Goode had an 18-year professional career playing over 400 games and scoring over 4,000 points