Wayne Barnes is set to become Rugby’s most capped international referee when he takes charge of the Springboks Test match against France in Marseille.
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The Englishman, who made his Test debut in 2007 during the inaugural World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup, equalized the record set by legendary Welsh referee Nigel Owens in Wales this past weekend. Barnes joined Owens in the 100-test club, with the former the most capped active rugby official.
Barnes will have the honour of moving past Owens, to become the most-capped International Referee in history.
Don’t call Wayne Barnes a cheat
The 42-year-old has enjoyed an incredible career with the whistle since becoming the second-youngest referee to officiate an International Rugby match. He also has more than a few highlights on the pitch.
It includes a red card handed to the former England captain, Dylan Hartley after he called Barnes a “f****** cheat”.
Hartley ended up missing the 2013 British and Irish Lions tour of Australia thanks to the comment, as the former Northampton player received an 11-week suspension. Hartley would never feature for the B&I Lions again.
Not a job for the faint of heart
Officiating is not an easy job. Especially at Test Rugby level. You have micro-seconds to make a decision, whilst being on the receiving end of severe criticism from both teams’ players and fans. Fans rarely contained their disapproval of the ref within the proximity of the Rugby stadium.
In an exclusive interview with The Telegraph ahead of his 100th test last week, Barnes spoke about how Rugby fans would interact with him on the street.
“It’s amazing how people think they should just share their opinion about your work,” said the now centurion.
“You can be sat having a coffee in Twickenham and someone will go ‘You’re Wayne Barnes, aren’t you? You were s— yesterday'”
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