England’s most capped international referee and leading Premiership whistler, Wayne Barnes, has indicated that this may be his 13th and final top level year before possibly retiring next Autumn.
Speaking to the Guardian newspaper, he says he intends to work towards being in the referee team for the 2019 Rugby World Cup before possibly hanging up his whistle. That will be his fourth world tournament, by which time he’ll be 40. He has two young children and his wife Polly is also carving out her own professional career in the advertising world.
After 200 Premiership matches, and 81 test matches (so far), his barrister career awaits without the incessant traveling, training, analysis and preparation that goes along with being a professional referee.
Pictured left at the end of his eighth Premiership final in 2018, he’ll be well remembered as a match official with the empathy and authority that so many aspire to.
For the full Guardian story, click here
From us all at RugbyReferee.net we wish him well if this does turn out to be his final season, and hope to see him officiate in the 2019 World Cup in Japan. It’d be a fitting end to a great career.
