Wayne Barnes to take charge of All Blacks’ quarter-final with Ireland
Wayne Barnes will take charge of the All Blacks’ highly anticipated showdown with Ireland with World Rugby confirming the match officials for the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals.
Barnes has been appointed for a record fourth time at this stage of the sports showpiece event.
New Zealander Ben O’Keeffe will referee the other quarter-final at Stade de France between France and South Africa, while Jaco Peyper and Mathieu Raynal have been named for the two games in Marseille.
Peyper will officiate Wales versus Argentina on Saturday at Stade de Marseille and Raynal will look over the third quarter between England and Fiji.
“I am full of admiration for how the match officials have performed at this Rugby World Cup and the example that they set as ambassadors and guardians of the sport’s values,” World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said.
“They have played their full part in what will be remembered as a compelling pool phase.
“I would like to congratulate Jaco, Wayne, Mathieu and Ben, the assistant referees and TMOs, and we now look forward to four compelling matches on the road to determining who will lift the Webb Ellis Cup at Stade de France on 28 October.”
Referee Barnes will move ahead of Nigel Owens, Jim Fleming and Derek Bevan for the most quarter-finals officiated by a referee. Jaco Peyper is also set for a milestone with the South African set to oversee his 50th Test.
The four referees have a combined 263 Test matches of experience between them, although this is the first quarter-final for both O’Keeffe and Raynal.
“Congratulations to those appointed. It was a very difficult selection as the performance level has been high,” World Rugby High Performance 15s Match Officials Manager Joël Jutge added.
“As a team, the match officials have worked hard to achieve consistency of performance and clarity of decision-making that enables the players to do what they do best.
“There is a strong culture within this group and a strong understanding with the teams owing to the preparation achieved over the last year and beyond.
“While it is the referees who will get the recognition for the appointments, this is a team game. We have an excellent team of referees, assistant referees and TMOs with a strong team ethic for the group to be the best it can be as a whole.”
Latest Comments
> It would be best described as an elegant solution to what was potentially going to be a significant problem for new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. It is a problem the mad population of New Zealand will have to cope with more and more as All Blacks are able to continue their careers in NZ post RWCs. It will not be a problem for coaches, who are always going to start a campaign with the captain for the next WC in mind. > Cane, despite his warrior spirit, his undoubted commitment to every team he played for and unforgettable heroics against Ireland in last year’s World Cup quarter-final, was never unanimously admired or respected within New Zealand while he was in the role. Neither was McCaw, he was considered far too passive a captain and then out of form until his last world cup where everyone opinions changed, just like they would have if Cane had won the WC. > It was never easy to see where Cane, or even if, he would fit into Robertson’s squad given the new coach will want to be building a new-look team with 2027 in mind. > Cane will win his selections on merit and come the end of the year, he’ll sign off, he hopes, with 100 caps and maybe even, at last, universal public appreciation for what was a special career. No, he won’t. Those returning from Japan have already earned the right to retain their jersey, it’s in their contract. Cane would have been playing against England if he was ready, and found it very hard to keep his place. Perform, and they keep it however. Very easy to see where Cane could have fit, very hard to see how he could have accomplished it choosing this year as his sabbatical instead of 2025, and that’s how it played out (though I assume we now know what when NZR said they were allowing him to move his sabbatical forward and return to NZ next year, they had actually agreed to simply select him for the All Blacks from overseas, without any chance he was going to play in NZ again). With a mammoth season of 15 All Black games they might as well get some value out of his years contract, though even with him being of equal character to Richie, I don’t think they should guarantee him his 100 caps. That’s not what the All Blacks should be about. He absolutely has to play winning football.
Go to commentswhat’s happening to Ian Peel?
Go to comments