Wayne Barnes, the recently retired referee, has been no stranger to the tumultuous world of rugby controversies throughout his career.
Despite his involvement in numerous contentious moments, he is widely recognised as one of the finest officials in the sport.
Although Barnes wasn’t in the mix during the previous season’s Champions Cup final, a clash that witnessed Johnny Sexton exchanging heated words with referee Jaco Peyper and his team post-match, he has not shied away from expressing his robust views on the incident.
In his tell-all autobiography, ‘Throwing the Book,’ Barnes delves into the details and shares his candid perspective on the dramatic confrontation.
Barnes said: “Further evidence that the authorities don’t have referees’ backs, and seem to be making stuff up as they go along, was the incident between Johnny Sexton and Jaco Peyper after the 2023 Champions Cup final, which La Rochelle won against Leinster.
“Leinster’s Sexton, who didn’t play because he was injured, walked on to the pitch and abused Jaco and his touch judges, Karl Dickson and Christophe Ridley.
“You could clearly see him letting rip as Jaco was on the podium receiving his medal, and you didn’t need to be a lip reader to know that was he was saying wasn’t very pleasant, to put it mildly.”
Barnes continues: “So when asked, Jaco and his team said they didn’t hear anything,
“European Rugby didn’t believe them, but Jaco and his team weren’t prepared to put their names to any statements because they weren’t confident that European Rugby would protect them.
“European Rugby promised them their names wouldn’t be mentioned and said it would write a statement on their behalf (you’d be ripped apart in the criminal justice system for doing that), but when the time came to prosecute Sexton, their names and quotes were all over the transcripts of the judgement.
“As you can imagine, Jaco and his team felt let down, and I don’t blame them.”
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Worst players to referee
#5. Joe Marler (England)
Joe Marler facts:
- Marler started his career at Haywards Heath RFC in Sussex where he played in the same side as fellow England international Billy Twelvetrees
- After joining the Quins academy in 2008, the prop spent some time on loan to Esher and Worthing
- He’s been nicknamed Croissant. In his own words, it’s because: “The boys think I have a nose that looks like a French pastry.”
- Marler was captain for England at U18s level and represented the U20 squad throughout the Junior World Championship in summer 2009
- He is also one of the hosts of The Joe Marler Show podcast with Tom Fordyce