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Be afraid! Barnes to ref All Blacks again
By MARC HINTON - RugbyHeaven | Saturday, 06 September 2008
Be afraid! Barnes to ref All Blacks again - New Zealand's source for sport, rugby, cricket & league news on Stuff.co.nz
It had to happen eventually, and now thanks to the IRB it finally has. Just over a year after he oversaw their shock World Cup exit, the All Blacks will go face-to-face with refereeing nemesis Wayne Barnes on November's Grand Slam tour of the UK and Ireland.
Englishman Barnes has been assigned to referee the All Blacks' opening match of their Grand Slam visit against Scotland at Murrayfield on November 8.
It is probably the least daunting of the four matches the New Zealanders will play on the northern component of a trip that will also take in an historic test against the Wallabies in Hong Kong on November 1.
But it is sure to be a reunion the All Blacks regard with some dread, even if they won't publicly admit so.
The inexperienced Barnes had a shocker when he took charge of the All Blacks' quarterfinal against France in Cardiff last October and his handling of the match contributed to the 18-20 defeat that sent Graham Henry's men tumbling out of the World Cup.
Barnes missed a clear forward pass in France's crucial second-half try, pinged Luke McAlister for a dubious sinbinning early in the match and also failed to award a single penalty against the French in the second half despite being under the cosh throughout by the dominant New Zealanders.
The Englishman was fingered as a culprit by angry New Zealanders in the aftermath of the All Blacks' worst ever World Cup performance, and his name was also prominent in an NZRU-commissioned inquiry into the campaign failure.
But the reality was that the All Blacks were their own worst enemies at the World Cup and they had more than enough opportunities to put the French away on a black night at the Millennium Stadium.
Still, Barnes' appointment will clearly raise the interest in what might otherwise be seen as a run-of-the-mill opening to the Grand Slam component of the tour.
And just how the young referee handles the external factors of the test should be interesting. He will be assisted at Murrayfield by countrymen Dave Pearson and Paul Dix.
Barnes was on the line for the All Blacks' Tri-Nations test against the Springboks in Cape Town, notably making two crucial calls in the New Zealanders' favour as they stormed to a vital 19-0 victory. But taking centre stage with the whistle is another matter altogether.
Irishman Alan Lewis will referee the Hong Kong "Bledisloe" match, while South Africa's Mark Lawrence will take charge of the All Blacks' November 15 clash against Ireland at Croke Park, Dublin.
Another South Africa, the experienced Jonathan Kaplan, will referee the All Blacks' clash against Six Nations champions Wales a week later, while Ireland's Alain Rolland will officiate in the potentially explosive tour finale against England at Twickenham on November 29.
New Zealand referees Bryce Lawrence and Steve Walsh have both also been handed premium tests to control.
Lawrence will have the whistle for Italy's match against Australia in Padova on November 8 and will also be in charge for Ireland's clash against Argentina on November 22.
Walsh will referee France's match against Argentina in Marseille on November 8 and will also be top official for England's Twickenham clash against Australia a week later.
IRB international referee appointments for November/December:
November 1: Australia v New Zealand, Hong Kong (referee, A. Lewis; assistant referees, G. Clancy, P. Fitzgibbon).
Nov 8: Wales v South Africa, Cardiff (A. Rolland; A. Lewis, G. Clancy); England v Pacific Islands, London (M. Goddard; S. Dickinson, T. Hayes); Scotland v New Zealand, Edinburgh (W. Barnes; D. Pearson, P. Dix); Ireland v Canada, Limerick (C. Berdos; N. Owens, C. Damasco); Italy v Australia, Padova (B. Lawrence; C. Joubert, M. Jonker ); France v Argentina, Marseille (S. Walsh; M. Lawrence, P. Allan).
Nov 14: Wales v Canada , Cardiff (S. Dickinson; M. Goddard, D. Changleng).
Nov 15: Scotland v South Africa, Edinburgh (D. Pearson; C. White, H. Watkins); England v Australia, London (S. Walsh; B. Lawrence, T. Hayes); France v Pacific Islands, Sochaux (N. Owens; W. Barnes, C. Damasco); Ireland v New Zealand, Dublin (M. Lawrence; J. Kaplan, C. Wessels); Italy v Argentina, Torino (M. Jonker; C. Joubert, C. Berdos).
Nov 18: Munster v New Zealand XV, Limerick (TBC).
Nov 22: England v South Africa, London (N. Owens; A. Rolland, R. Poite); Ireland v Argentina, Dublin (B. Lawrence; S. Walsh, R. Debney); Scotland v Canada, Aberdeen (G. Clancy; A. Lewis, S. Terheege); Wales v New Zealand, Cardiff (J. Kaplan; D. Pearson, C. Wessels); Italy v Pacific Islands, Reggio Emilia (W. Barnes; C. Berdos, H. Watkins); France v Australia, Paris (C. Joubert; C. White, D. Changleng).
Nov 29: England v New Zealand, London (A. Rolland; N. Owens, G. Clancy); Wales v Australia, Cardiff (A. Lewis; D. Pearson, R. Poite).
Dec 3: Barbarians v Australia Barbarians, London (C. White; W. Barnes, S. Terheege).
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