Wayne Barnes retiring from reffing

Hope he’s not retiring from ROFfing…

It’s a great shame. I think he did a first-class job with a difficult task. The keyboard w@nkers have done the game a great disservice. People of his quality and experience are not common. Future games will be less well run as a result of good people not wanting to put up with the abuse.

That’s a damn shame.

Seems like a thoroughly decent fellow and I think he’s an excellent ref.

Still, good to go out at the top I suppose.

Thought he was pretty good in the WC final, when two teams openly and constantly cheat like that you have to feel for the ref

Probably the best ref on the circuit

But can see why he would want to spend more time at home, it must be draining (but fun). Now he can just concentrate on the fun bits and do some after dinner speaker and the like

Probably the best communicator amongst top level refs, and generally a good feel for the game.

Hopefully the RFU will try to get JP Doyle back on their roster.

shame to see him go but you can see the reasons and they are fair. being involved in professional sports (whether as a player, coach, physio or ref) means you can't really have a normal family life during the season (he mentioned being away a lot and missing out on weekends with his kids).

interesting he's decided to pull the plug completely - he isn't retiring just from international reffing but sounds like he's hanging up the whistle in the Prem as well.

When you’ve just done the RWC final, I suspect that the prospect of a long drive up to Kingston Park for a wet and windy Friday night is more than mehsome.