Wayne Barnes officiates the third and fourth playoff between the All Blacks and Wales at the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Photo: Getty ImagesWayne Barnes has revealed how his mistake in the 2007 Rugby World Cup quarterfinal spurred him on to become one of rugby's top referees. Now one of the world's most highly-rated referees, who was given the bronze medal match between the All Blacks and Wales at the 2019 Rugby World Cup, Barnes says the public criticism and his own drive to improve made him a superior referee. That's how I definitely saw it, and this World Cup for me, nobody was talking about Wayne Barnes' performance, so maybe 12 years of experience has helped do that." "Of course it was [a forward pass] – we've all seen it.

Source: Otago Daily Times November 27, 2019 19:30 UTC