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‘We need the game to crack on’: Wayne Barnes on rugby match officials wasting time
Savannah Lendich Jonkers • July 9th, 2025 2:17 pm
Photo: Andrew Cornaga/Photosport
TMO interference at last weekend’s All Blacks game sparked controversy but a British referee says officials need to keep the game uninterrupted where possible.
Wayne Barnes told Sport Nation that technology makes the sport better, however it’s not about searching for issues, it's about limiting stoppages and only checking the big stuff.
“I want to see games that don't stop and aren't interrupted, so get the big stuff, don't worry about the little stuff, and if it hits you in the face, those are the ones that you should be looking for," Barnes said.
England's clash with Argentina wasn’t much different according to Barnes and these long stoppages leave spectators uninterested and viewers needing to change the channel.
Barnes reflected on the 2023 Rugby World Cup Final that he refereed and how the team behind him had worked with each other many times previously.
“Now, I know people will disagree with some of those decisions within the World Cup Final, but what I hope you saw is a team who knew whose role it was to come in when, and when those individuals came in, it was dealt with pretty quickly.”
Barnes said he believes match officials should be able to have one look at an issue and be able to make a unanimous decision, rather than looking at various angles to prove each other otherwise.
“For me, it's about when it's so clear that the on-field official should have picked it up, it's not about scratching for that potential obstruction.”
He said people need to “accept that we (referees) will miss stuff, just like players will miss passes, players will miss kicks at goal, we have to accept that refs will make mistakes.
“If we can all do that, the game will improve on the back of it,” says Barnes.
Wayne Barnes on the role TMO should play in sport | Scotty & Izzy
