For the second week on the bounce, Wayne Barnes inadvertently got involved in play as an All Black literally passed the ball to him.
In his 100th test, the English referee kicked off the game by blowing the whistle from Cymru’s first victory against the All Blacks in 1905.
Following the knock on from Barnes early in the game, fans reacted in their droves on social media.
“Poor hands from Wayne Barnes,” wrote one fan.
“Clear deliberate knock on from the referee. Give him 10 minutes in the bin,” added a second.
A third wrote: “I suspected Barnes would be the 16th man for the All Blacks but they’re not even hiding it,” wrote a third.
Wayne Barnes incident:
Barnes got in the way of the action more than once during Saracens clash with Sale Sharks last weekend on what could only be described as an off day.
Sale Sharks owner Simon Orange wrote: ‘”I’ve already made the tackle,” Brilliant from Wayne Barnes!!’
“Barnes should have been yellow carded for deliberate obstruction!!!!” added a fan.
A second supporter wrote: “Wayne Barnes should appear on the stats sheet for tackles made!!”
“Most tackles – Wayne Barnes,” a third added.
The Clips:
Wayne Barnes facts:
- When not on the pitch or working with the England team, Barnes is a practising barrister
- Barnes started playing rugby at the age of eight, and took up refereeing aged 15 with Gloucester & District Referees
- He also has two young children, Juno and Beau with wife Polly.
Wayne Barnes and Nigel Owens rank the five worst players to referee
Nigel Owens and Wayne Barnes have been revealing the toughest players they’ve had to referee during their career as high-profile match officials.
Two of the best referee’s to ever pick up an ACME Whistle, it’s interesting to see who give them the hardest time on the rugby pitch.
#1. Richie McCaw
BARNES SAID: “Richie always had the knack of asking the right question at the right time, sometimes it felt like I was losing a little bit of control. Contrary to popular belief, he didn’t talk a lot on the field. He knew the law book inside out and so when he asked a question, he often had a point.”
OWENS SAID: “If anybody had to pick the greatest player in history, it would surely be a difficult choice between him and Gareth Edwards.”
