English veteran referee Wayne Barnes has retired after a distinguished 20-year career with the whistle.
Barnes, 44, has refereed 111 test matches and more than 250 Premiership games, taken charge of ten Premiership finals and three European Cup showpieces, and signed off his fifth Rugby World Cup appearance – and his career – by adjudicating last week's final between South Africa and New Zealand.
Having refereed domestically for 22 years, and in test rugby for 17, Barnes will return to his successful law career following the release of his autobiography Throwing the Book, which will be released on 9 November.
He is also looking forward to spending weekends at home, saying in a statement on X: “People often say you will know when it is the right time to retire, and this is clearly the right time for me and for my family.
“My children have missed out on time with their dad for far too long and I am now looking forward to family weekends, sports matches, school assemblies and birthday parties.
“My wife, Polly, has sacrificed more than anyone so that I have been able to achieve some of my personal goals.
“While I have been away most weekends and for decent chunks of the year, she has had to juggle being an amazing mum with two active children, along with holding down a hugely successful career of her own.”
Barnes will be remembered fondly for a career that was remarkably lean on controversy despite the number of high-profile games that he was in charge for.
One infamous moment came in the 2007 World Cup quarter-final when Damian Traille's forward pass to Freddie Michalak was not spotted by Barnes as France scored late to beat New Zealand, but with Television Match Official (TMO) decisions only covering groundings at the time he could not refer the pass.
The incident led to internet abuse and death threats for Barnes, though these were strongly condemned by the International Rugby Board (predecessor to World Rugby) and the Englishman returned to referee again at the 2011 World Cup including the third place play-off between Wales and Australia.
Two years later at his fifth Premiership Final questions were initially asked over a monumental decision to send off Northampton Saints captain Dylan Hartley, which all-but lost Saints the 2013 showpiece and led to the future England skipper missing the British and Irish Lions Tour that would prove to be the first victorious trip for the team in 16 years.
But it was later found that Hartley had sworn at Barnes, labelling him “a f***ing cheat”, after repeated warnings. The decision was upheld by the RFU and praised by pundits.
As his career entered its latter stages Barnes became well-liked for allowing games to flow, like his fellow former referee Nigel Owens, and having an experienced understanding of technical aspects of the game which rarely left supporters of either team he refereed bemoaning his performance or key decisions he made.
His good reputation allowed him three further World Cup appearances, and with 2015 final referee Owens stepping down in 2020, and 2019 final referee Jérôme Garcès ending his career in the middle a year later, Barnes finally got the chance to referee the World Cup Final last weekend. It proved to be the last game of a career that has seen him take charge of more international test matches and Premiership games than anyone else.
He added: “I will continue to advocate for referees and work closely with the International Rugby Match Officials association to ensure match officials across the globe not only have a collective voice but also the appropriate support network for them and their families, particularly as online abuse and threats have become far too regular for all of those involved in the game.
“I'm grateful for all of those who have helped me along the way, in particular, Chris White, Tony Spreadbury, Brian Campsall, Nigel Yates and Phil Keith-Roach.”
Written by Nick Powell
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