Barnes debunks McCaw’s accusations

Mathieu Warnier, Media365: Published on Thursday, May 2, 2024 at 8:30 p.m.

Through his biography, former international referee Wayne Barnes returned to his relationship with Richie McCaw. While the former All Blacks captain is viewed as a cheater, the referee of the recent World Cup final does not have the same opinion.

Wayne Barnes can finally trust. On October 28, the English referee ended his career in the World Cup final, which South Africa won against New Zealand on the field at the Stade de France. After 17 years at the highest level, the Bream native has spoken out in his autobiography, Throwing the Book. On this occasion, the former international referee did not fail to take a look at the personalities he faced over the years, and certain pages were dedicated to Richie McCaw. The New Zealand legend is often viewed as a ‘cheater’. Sebastien Chabal did not fail to scratch the All Black in his book. He wrote on paper: “He does not do his bad tricks secretly, but in full view of everyone.” It would be wrong for him to feel embarrassed: no one says anything to him, no one ever punishes him, and he benefits from complete impunity. »

Barnes: “Macaw was on goal”

But, reading his book, Wayne Barnes does not have the same view at all about the player who has won 148 caps for New Zealand. In his view, “the argument under which Richie McCaw was allowed to get away with it was lazy” before putting forward the numbers that would allow a drawing of the type of player the former third-row winger was. “If you look at the stats, Richie McCaw has conceded more penalties than most of the three international caps, so the argument that the referees didn’t mark him well doesn’t hold up,” says Wayne Barnes. Nor was the argument that he was intimidating the referees, because in reality he almost never spoke. » Saying he was “sorry” to say so, “Richie McCaw was on target,” says Wayne Barnes, who makes no secret of a certain guile on the part of the former New Zealand captain. He adds: “A good leader is a cunning leader.” He was as cunning as could be. » A confession that should get Richie McCaw’s critics talking.