Wayne Barnes ruled out of refereeing Premiership final - Ruck

Wayne Barnes ruled out of refereeing Premiership final

Referee Wayne Barnes will be unable to take charge of Saturday’s Gallagher Premiership final after testing positive for Coronavirus.

He wrote on Twitter last night: “Sadly I’ll be out of action this weekend as my weekly routine coronavirus test came back positive so I’m now isolating.

“Gutted to miss the @premrugby final but wish @ExeterChiefs, @WaspsRugby & all match officials involved the best of luck for a great day.”

Meanwhile, Wasps head coach Lee Blackett has confirmed 11 players from his squad are unavailable for selection for their Premiership final against Exeter.

Those players have either tested positive for coronavirus or been in close contact with someone who has tested positive.

Of those 11, Blackett said four would have probably been in the matchday 23.

The brilliant nicknames Joe Marler has given teammates in his autobiography

1. Joe Launchbury (Slosh, Sloshbucket, or Biscuit)

“He has the biggest arse in world rugby – and was forever knocking things over.”


2. James Haskell (The Unflushable Turd, Rig City)

“Despite being embroiled in a number of off-the-pitch controversies over the years and falling foul of various regimes, the unflushable turd has repeatedly bounced back.”

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