Owen Farrell, Steve Borthwick and the England squad quietly showed how rugby is about camaraderie and respect with their gift to referee Wayne Barnes.
101 – That is the number of Tests which English referee Wayne Barnes has refereed, which is a world record. Barnes equalled the record – set by former Welsh referee Nigel Owens – when he took charge of the Wales v New Zealand match at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on November 5 and set a new mark when he was the man in the middle when France hosted South Africa in Marseille on November 12.
Wayne Barnes ranks the five toughest 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