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'Very misleading': Wayne Barnes responds to All Blacks' 'complaints' over RWC final refereeing

Referee Wayne Barnes talks to Ardie Savea of New Zealand after teammate, Sam Cane (not pictured) was shown a red card during the Rugby World Cup Final match between New Zealand and South Africa at Stade de France on October 28, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

After refereeing South Africa’s World Cup final win over the All Blacks last month, Wayne Barnes has responded to the reports that New Zealand have sent a complaint to World Rugby over the officiating, saying “you’re never quite sure what that means”.

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The match was crammed full of significant moments, including the first ever World Cup final red card shown to All Blacks captain Sam Cane, as well as three other yellow cards being brandished. Just days after the 12-11 loss at the Stade de France, the losing head coach Ian Foster said that they had “already sent a file into World Rugby to get them to make a few comments on… Hopefully they do.”

Joining The Evening Standard Rugby Podcast with Lawrence Dallaglio this week after recently announcing his retirement from refereeing, the 44-year-old said that the All Blacks’ actions are nothing new and that they send feedback of that nature after every game.

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All Black coach Ian Foster speaks about his team’s one-point loss to the Springboks in the World Cup Final

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All Black coach Ian Foster speaks about his team’s one-point loss to the Springboks in the World Cup Final

Barnes was in charge of three All Blacks matches during the World Cup, and said that their “diligent” coaching staff asked World Rugby for clarification for the first two matches against Uruguay and Ireland, so something similar would be expected after the final. But he stressed that he has not seen that feedback and that reports that there have been complaints can be “very misleading”.

“So I refereed New Zealand three times during the tournament,” Barnes said.

“Refereed them against Uruguay, refereed them against Ireland and refereed them in the final but they sent feedback after every game. So they would say, ‘can you clarify these points?’ So writing to complain to World Rugby, as I’ve seen some of the headlines this week, can be very misleading.”

“I’m sure because Ian Foster is very diligent and with Joe [Schmidt] next to him, and they always go into detail after a match. And so after those other two matches, there’s a lot of detail, asking questions of you know, of clarification. So it wouldn’t surprise me if they’ve sent those into World Rugby. I haven’t seen those yet.”

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271 Comments
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WayneBaenesIsAMutt 172 days ago

Wayne barnes should join the Queen

d
david 374 days ago

I would like to see consistent refereeing.Also time restraints on penalty advantage.And allow the coaches to call a certain amount of var incidents.
I feel the whole world cup was spoiled by the refs as they seemed to all play different rules.
Also the amount of offsides committed when kicking was ridiculous.

B
Backinblack 374 days ago

Just out of interest is Rubgypass a South African site?

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Backinblack 374 days ago

At least other countries don’t go absolutely hysterical and deranged like Rassie (The Bok coach) does after a Bok loss… it’s embarrassing… and Bok supporters love to stick it up the AB fans as poor losers when they win… but if they lose they are the biggest whingers and moaners in the world… they dissect the game and do a Rassie everytime… and if they win are the biggest gloaters….OMG it has to be seen to be believed. Too funny. I lived in Capetown during a AB tour and witnessed it first hand…. But the biggest poor loser incident was when a Bok fan ran on to the field and physically attacked the referee during an AB/Bok match… the ultimate poor loser tactic.

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Jon 375 days ago

Correct response from Barnes ‘Get stuffed sheep lovers — go cry for the next 4 years’

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Peter 376 days ago

I thought Barnes had a good game. I have played and reffed.

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Easy_Duzz-it 376 days ago

🤣🤣 people still crying about the final . Get over it ! foster was never going to win the big one … we were stupid to believe we ever had a chance . The boys had zero composure and we lost in the end … to many play makers & not enough punch in the forwards … Hooo haaa razor ray Hooo ha razor ray

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Michael 376 days ago

I watch the entire game. This referee installed himself in a biased way. Some of the calls were absolutely ridiculous, unavoidable because of the offensive players change of level in such a short manner less than one step. Nobody has reactions like that when they were traveling at such a fast pace, this man should not have injected himself into the game referee is not noticeable if he does a good job when you play half the game 14 on 15 and still only lose by one point it’s obvious that New Zealand didn’t win I think the fix was in I would investigate the man’s finances for the past year His crypto account, his bank account and anything he has to do with as far as deck. Thank you.

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Peter 376 days ago

Sadly it is easier to blame the ref than take responsibility for our own tactical errors plus stupid actions. Ignor thecref, our actions lost the game!

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Keniterika 376 days ago

2007 world cup quarter-final blacks vs france, forward pass and the try was allowed.

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JW 3 hours ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Ok, managed to read the full article..

... New Zealand’s has only 14 and the professional season is all over within four months. In France, club governance is the responsibility of an independent organisation [the Ligue Nationale de Rugby or LNR] which is entirely separate from the host union [the Fédération Française de Rugby or FFR]. Down south New Zealand Rugby runs the provincial and the national game.

That is the National Provincial Championship, a competition of 14 representative union based teams run through the SH international window and only semi professional (paid only during it's running). It is run by NZR and goes for two and a half months.


Super Rugby is a competition involving 12 fully professional teams, of which 5 are of New Zealand eligibility, and another joint administered team of Pacific Island eligibility, with NZR involvement. It was a 18 week competition this year, so involved (randomly chosen I believe) extra return fixtures (2 or 3 home and away derbys), and is run by Super Rugby Pacific's own independent Board (or organisation). The teams may or may not be independently run and owned (note, this does not necessarily mean what you think of as 'privately owned').


LNR was setup by FFR and the French Government to administer the professional game in France. In New Zealand, the Players Association and Super Rugby franchises agreed last month to not setup their own governance structure for professional rugby and re-aligned themselves with New Zealand Rugby. They had been proposing to do something like the English model, I'm not sure how closely that would have been aligned to the French system but it did not sound like it would have French union executive representation on it like the LNR does.

In the shaky isles the professional pyramid tapers to a point with the almighty All Blacks. In France the feeling for country is no more important than the sense of fierce local identity spawned at myriad clubs concentrated in the southwest. Progress is achieved by a nonchalant shrug and the wide sweep of nuanced negotiation, rather than driven from the top by a single intense focus.

Yes, it is pretty much a 'representative' selection system at every level, but these union's are having to fight for their existence against the regime that is NZR, and are currently going through their own battle, just as France has recently as I understand it. A single focus, ala the French game, might not be the best outcome for rugby as a whole.


For pure theatre, it is a wonderful article so far. I prefer 'Ntamack New Zealand 2022' though.

The young Crusader still struggles to solve the puzzle posed by the shorter, more compact tight-heads at this level but he had no problem at all with Colombe.

It was interesting to listen to Manny during an interview on Maul or Nothing, he citied that after a bit of banter with the All Black's he no longer wanted one of their jersey's after the game. One of those talks was an eye to eye chat with Tamaiti Williams, there appear to be nothing between the lock and prop, just a lot of give and take. I thought TW angled in and caused Taylor to pop a few times, and that NZ were lucky to be rewarded.

f you have a forward of 6ft 8ins and 145kg, and he is not at all disturbed by a dysfunctional set-piece, you are in business.

He talked about the clarity of the leadership that helped alleviate any need for anxiety at the predicaments unfolding before him. The same cannot be said for New Zealand when they had 5 minutes left to retrieve a match winning penalty, I don't believe. Did the team in black have much of a plan at any point in the game? I don't really call an autonomous 10 vehicle they had as innovative. I think Razor needs to go back to the dealer and get a new game driver on that one.

Vaa’i is no match for his power on the ground. Even in reverse, Meafou is like a tractor motoring backwards in low gear, trampling all in its path.

Vaa'i actually stops him in his tracks. He gets what could have been a dubious 'tackle' on him?

A high-level offence will often try to identify and exploit big forwards who can be slower to reload, and therefore vulnerable to two quick plays run at them consecutively.

Yes he was just standing on his haunches wasn't he? He mentioned that in the interview, saying that not only did you just get up and back into the line to find the opposition was already set and running at you they also hit harder than anything he'd experienced in the Top 14. He was referring to New Zealands ultra-physical, burst-based Super style of course, which he was more than a bit surprised about. I don't blame him for being caught out.


He still sent the obstruction back to the repair yard though!

What wouldn’t the New Zealand rugby public give to see the likes of Mauvaka and Meafou up front..

Common now Nick, don't go there! Meafou showed his Toulouse shirt and promptly got his citizenship, New Zealand can't have him, surely?!?


As I have said before with these subjects, really enjoy your enthusiasm for their contribution on the field and I'd love to see more of their shapes running out for Vern Cotter and the like styled teams.

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