Referee Wayne Barnes has opened up about the infamous World Cup quarterfinal between France and New Zealand where a defining decision to not call a forward pass contributed to France’s upset win.
Answering a Q&A on BT Sport, Barnes was asked whether there are any decisions he regrets making throughout his career ahead of his final year in refereeing.
“I think, perhaps the most high-profile mistake was in 2007 when there was a forward pass in the lead up to a French try against New Zealand, the fallout from that was pretty huge,” Barnes told BT Sport.
“I think I was voted the third most-hated man in New Zealand that year so it was pretty impressive.
“As a referee, you never want to be in the headlines and whenever you are, whether you’re right or wrong, that’s not what you’re there for.”