New Zealand – Wayne Barnes, a prominent English rugby referee, has been selected to officiate the highly anticipated World Cup quarter-final match between the All Blacks and Ireland at Stade de France this weekend. Barnes, once the target of Kiwi fans’ animosity following a controversial call during the 2007 World Cup, has been chosen for this pivotal encounter.
The 44-year-old lawyer earned the wrath of New Zealanders during the 2007 World Cup when he missed a forward pass in the build-up to one of France’s tries, which contributed to a shocking quarter-final upset of the All Blacks. Over the years, Barnes has gradually earned respect from All Blacks supporters. Notably, he was in charge last year in Wellington when Ireland secured their first-ever series win in New Zealand.
Despite a more favorable view of Barnes today, there are lingering grievances among All Blacks fans, particularly regarding an incident involving Ireland’s Andrew Porter. In the aforementioned match, Porter was only shown a yellow card for a head-to-head collision with Brodie Retallick, which left the New Zealand lock with a fractured cheekbone.
This will mark Barnes’ fourth World Cup quarter-final, highlighting his extensive experience in officiating high-stakes matches. Additionally, he has overseen rare Irish losses to France and Wales in the Six Nations in recent years.
In another high-profile quarter-final clash taking place in Paris, hosts France will meet world champions South Africa. This match will be officiated by New Zealander Ben O’Keeffe, who also took charge of the heavyweight pool clash between Ireland and the Springboks.
The quarter-final between England and Fiji, set in Marseille, will see French official Mathieu Raynal as the referee. In the other quarter-final match held in the southern city, Wales will face Argentina, with Jaco Peyper serving as the match’s referee.
Peyper, a South African referee, was notably excluded from consideration for the semi-finals in the previous World Cup due to a picture surfacing online. In the image, Peyper was seen posing with Welsh fans after officiating a quarter-final match between Wales and France. During that encounter, he issued a red card to Sebastien Vahaamahina for elbowing Aaron Wainwright in the face, which led to Wales narrowly defeating France 20-19. Peyper’s gesture in the photo appeared to mock Vahaamahina’s actions during the match.
