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World Rugby statement: Wayne Barnes steps down from refereeing
Wayne Barnes has called time on his refereeing career, confirming on Thursday that last Saturday’s Rugby World Cup final between the Springboks and the All Blacks in Paris was his last game as a referee.
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A statement read: “World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont has led the tributes to Wayne Barnes, who today announced he is to step down from match officiating to concentrate on new ventures.
“One of the all-time greats, Barnes’ stellar Test refereeing career spanned 17 years, a record 111 Tests and five Rugby World Cups as well as numerous domestic and European finals.
“He bows out having achieved the ultimate accolade in the game, taking charge of the Rugby World Cup 2023 final between New Zealand and South Africa at Stade de France last weekend.
“The match, won by South Africa, was a record 27th Rugby World Cup match as referee for Barnes. It was also his sixth match in the middle at France 2023, equalling the record he set at RWC 2019 when he took charge of New Zealand’s defeat of Wales in the bronze final in Tokyo.”
It is the greatest honour of my career to be given the responsibility of refereeing a Rugby World Cup final 2023. https://t.co/bZ3O1mezuS
— Wayne Barnes (@WayneBarnesRef) October 23, 2023
Barnes said: “Over the past 20 years, I have been in the middle of some of the greatest rugby matches in history. I have seen some of the world’s best players and worked with some of the finest coaches the game has ever produced.
“Last Saturday, I was privileged to referee the Rugby World Cup final between two of the most iconic teams in sport; the All Blacks and the Springboks. People often say you will know when it is the right time to retire, and this is the right time for me and for my family.
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“My children have missed out on time with their dad for far too long and I am now looking forward to family weekends, sports matches, school assemblies and birthday parties.
“My wife, Polly, has sacrificed more than anyone so that I have been able to achieve some of my personal goals. While I have been away most weekends and for decent chunks of the year, she has had to juggle being an amazing mum with two active children, along with holding down a hugely successful career of her own.
“I will continue to advocate for referees and work closely with the International Rugby Match Officials Association to ensure match officials across the globe not only have a collective voice but also the appropriate support network for them and their families, particularly as online abuse and threats have become far too regular for all of those involved in the game.
“I am extremely proud that my career has spanned five Rugby World Cups, 26 Six Nations matches, three European Champions Cup finals and 10 Premiership Finals, and I’m grateful for all of those who have helped me along the way, in particular, Chris White, Tony Spreadbury, Brian Campsall, Nigel Yates and Phil Keith-Roach. It’s been an incredible journey.”
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World Rugby chairman Beaumont added: “Wayne has been a truly fantastic ambassador for rugby, both on and off the pitch. What makes him so special is not only his stellar refereeing career but his wider contribution to the game, making refereeing more accessible to more people. He will rightly be remembered as one of the greats – a credit to the game, his nation and his family.
“On behalf of World Rugby and the global rugby family I would like to thank Wayne for his incredible dedication, commitment, passion and love for the game, which led him to achieve the ultimate accolade in the game, selection on merit to referee the Rugby World Cup 2023 final. He was also a deserving recipient of the World Rugby referee award in 2019.
“Refereeing is a tough job, perhaps the toughest in sport. It takes a special person with passion, dedication and a support network around them to be so good for so long, to referee 111 tests, and to earn the respect of players, coaches and fans alike.”
Barnes’ record international career in numbers
- Most-capped referee in Test history with 111 tests from 2006-2023;
- Also involved in 92 Tests as an assistant referee with three as TMO;
- Record five Rugby World Cups;
- Record 27 Rugby World Cup matches as a referee, culminating with RWC 2023 final;
- Second Englishman to referee a Rugby World Cup final after Ed Morrison in 1995;
- Record 26 Six Nations matches as referee across 17 Championships from 2007-2023;
- Thirteen Tri-Nations/Rugby Championship matches from 2007-2023;
- World Rugby referee award recipient in 2019.
Comments on RugbyPass
Ben it's beyond their comprehension-
202 Go to commentsThanks Sam. Interesting read. Harder or easier for Parling to come into a completely new setup where performance was abysmal last time out? I’d suggest easier to be better but, as you suggest, will be a lot to do with how much latitude he’s granted. Hopefully all he needs. With hybrids like Holloway, Hannigan, Swinton and Leota as options at 6 we have the basics for a strong lineout. BPA returning means we have good options at 2 also with Faessler, Porecki and Uelese, although Jordan is a scrumming beast rather than a dart thrower. I’m typically a pessimist or realist but that’s never applied to the Wallabies
1 Go to commentsMad how this somehow contained absolutely zero information.
1 Go to commentsI’m looking forward to attending the Twickenham match, I don’t think it will have a bearing on the outcome of the grand prize itself but it will tell us more about each teams’ preparation and game plan. It’s hard to look past one of the big four (I’m including Canada) lifting the trophy in 2025 but sport is a curious thing, there will still be twists and turns in road ahead.
2 Go to commentsThe better side seems to be the losing side a lot these days. As far as narrative goes. Must be the big emergent culture of “participation awards” that have emerged in nanny states. ”It looked like New Zealand would take the game from there but lapses in execution let South Africa get back into the game. New Zealand’s goal kickers left five points out there, including a very make-able penalty on the stroke of half”. Sounds like a chronic problem… I wonder how the better team has lapses in concentration and execution? Or are those not important factors in the grand scheme of total performances? In 2023, the ABs at least didn’t give up a lead to lose. They just couldn’t execute to get the points and take the lead. This Baby AB result points to a choke - letting the game slip through your fingers. In the words of the great Ricky Bobby’s dad - “If you’re not 1st you’re last!” Loosely translated - if you didn’t win, you’re a loser.
9 Go to commentsWith Stuart Lancaster at the helm, Racing 92 looks more and more a mercenaries club like Toulon some years ago and they are not even performing despite all the money on offer.
4 Go to commentsCouple of things BS missed: wind was behind the Baby Blacks in the first half. Baby Boks got points from a scrum penalty in the final quarter against this ‘dominant pack’, and left three points on the park after a missed penalty.
9 Go to commentsSensible thoughts on this, Brett. Also worth considering we’ve sold 60k tickets for a game between the Rebels and the Lions next year. Got to be roughly $10m in ticket and game day revenue there.
5 Go to commentsUnsuccessful bitter ex Ulster player taking a pop shot at a side that isn't including his consistently poor mates up north
4 Go to commentsHis decision to play in France isn’t a petulant decision as this article suggests. I reckon that France is the perfect place to demonstrate that he can mix it in those battles Rassie references. It’s a good decision to try get into the squad. My personal opinion is that he wins more battles than he loses. I don’t have Rassie’s stats machine behind me, but Daymian’s is so strong moving through traffic and in the rip.
4 Go to commentsWow! Argie forward dominance is something I have not read in years….
1 Go to commentsIs the ‘snub’ really why he is leaving? He hasn’t said that has he? You don’t have to stay in SA to play for the Boks, so it’s not that he’s giving up on trying to get into the squad as the case would be in, say, England or New Zealand. Rassie made it clear that the early camps won’t feature all the players to play for the Boks this year so I can’t imagine Dayimani was too offended by being overlooked this time. It just seems like a sensationalist angle to take for a story without really knowing the player’s intentions.
4 Go to commentsWell, it is easily one of the best Irish sides, it’s just that their historical standard is very low.
4 Go to commentsThe Irish side is good. They have lost 2 games in the last 23 tests. In the last 12 months they have have a 60% win rate against the top 5 sides in the world. Over the same period south africa have a 67% win rate against the top 5 teams, and New Zealand are at 40%.
4 Go to commentsOnly 1247 days until RWC 2027 starts Bin Smuth🤣Can’t wait to see how unhinged you’re still gonna get between now & then
202 Go to commentsany chance either team will improve on their u20 world cup performances this time around? I assume both sides will be deeply disappointed with how things went.
6 Go to commentsAnother poor articles by a poor journo, nothing new from Ben, at least you are consistently bad lol, geez I will try and watch the match later, clearly Benny was only looking to one end of the pitch, hard to tell whom the Baby Blacks were playing if it wasn’t in the header 😄😄
9 Go to commentsNz should have won. I didn't watch the game, but the ref was at fault and the bounce of the ball and the Bokke used the Bomb squad and the Bokke slow the game down and the Bokke scrum. They should remove the scrum. The Bokke are to strong. Not fair. Nz should have won
9 Go to commentsProbably the worst article on a rugby match I have ever read
202 Go to commentsWho hurt this man.. LoL 😭
202 Go to comments