Barnes picks up 8th Premiership final in his 200th match
It has been announced that Wayne Barnes will referee his 200th Premiership match on Saturday, as he takes charge of Exeter v Saracens in the Premiership Final. It will be Barnes’ 8th final. Barnes aside, it’s a repeat of the 2016 Final, with the Chiefs looking defend their crown from 2017. The Sandy Park outfit finished the regular season comfortably clear of Saracens with 85 points. They comfortably overcame Newcastle in last week’s semi-finals, with Saracens putting 57 points past Wasps to secure their final berth and eyeing a third title of their own.
Berry to whistle in Dublin
In the PRO14, the South African referee, Stuart Berry will oversee the Leinster v Scarlets final. Berry will lead a team of neutral match officials for the match at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday evening. He joined the Guinness PRO14 Elite Referee Squad as the tournament expanded to include the two South African sides last year. Prior to his 13 appearances in the Guinness PRO14 this season, Berry also refereed 26 Vodacom Super Rugby matches and 11 World RUgby test matches.
Speaking at the news, Jurie Roux, CEO of SA Rugby, said, “We are immensely proud of Stuart and we know he will represent South Africa with aplomb in Dublin on Saturday”.
Greg Garner, Elite Referee Manager of the Guinness PRO14 added, “These appointments are a significant step for the Guinness PRO14 in that we can balance the need for neutral officials with capability for our showpiece game. Stuart has refereed 13 games in the Championship this season which adds to his experience in Super Rugby and at international level.
“We have a number of goals when it comes to our match officials and creating a deeper pool of talent that extends across Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales is one of the top priorities. The addition of South African referees to the Guinness PRO14 has provided us with a broader roster to select from and allowed us to name an all-neutral panel of match officials for this weekend.
“It’s very satisfying that in all six Guinness PRO14 Final Series games we have appointed fully neutral match official teams because in the past in the past referees have been brought in from England and France to officiate the Championship decider.”
Aviva Premiership Final: Exeter Chiefs v Saracens
Referee: Wayne Barnes – 200th Premiership game, 8th Final
Assistant Referees: Luke Pearce & Paul Dix
TMO: David Grashoff
Guinness PRO14 Final: Leinster v Scarlets
Referee: Stuart Berry (South Africa) – 14th tournament game
Assistant referees: Marius Mitrea (Italy) & Mike Adamson (Scotland)
Television Match Official: Neil Paterson (Scotland)
