South Africa vs. New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup final will be coached by Wayne Barnes, whose selection has not been without controversy.
Following the uproar surrounding Curry’s use of racist slurs, Borthwick supports him, labelling it a “World Rugby matter.”
Despite Steve Borthwick’s team falling to South Africa in the semi-finals, there will be one Englishman in the Rugby World Cup final: Wayne Barnes will be the man in the middle for New Zealand vs. the Springbok on Saturday. He did, however, previously play for South Africa, as a contentious decision made during one of their matches resulted in his family receiving deplorable remarks on social media.
Although Barnes is regarded as one of rugby’s most esteemed referees, he faced criticism following South Africa’s defeat to France in the previous season. In his 100th Test match, he presided over a 30-26 French victory, but the match would be more known for the criticism Barnes faced, which almost caused him to give up after multiple of his calls were called into question over the 80 minutes.
Rassie Erasmus, the director of rugby in South Africa, appeared to draw attention to choices that disagreed with him by sharing a number of video clips on X, a platform that was once known as Twitter. World Rugby would later suspend him due to his social media usage.
But after Barnes disclosed the threats he and his family had received, which prompted the official to report two of the culprits to the police, criticism on social media soon escalated into hate directed towards those individuals.
Barnes said on the podcast The Good, The Bad, and The Rugby that “criticism on social media quickly becomes abuse.” We reside in that world. On social media, that is. However, I choose to use social media and to serve as a referee myself. Choosing to be a referee is not something my wife Polly decides to do.
“Some direct insults directed on Polly began on Saturday night. Subsequently, over the course of the next two or three days, Polly was subjected to physical abuse, threats of sexual assault, and threats against the children. That elevates it to a new degree. You believe you can be ready for most situations if you’ve played 100 games. That is something you cannot prepare for.
“I don’t mind if people make fun of me for my performance; they’re free to treat me badly in person. But it went beyond simply crossing a boundary. It had spread so far that the line was no longer even visible. It has an impact on both you and your family.
Barnes, a lawyer by trade, thought about leaving rugby and going back to work for his business full-time, but he ultimately chose not to stop officiating.
As a return for his commitment, he will now get to referee on the grandest stage of all this Saturday, when he will be watching South Africa and New Zealand closely at the Stade de France.
