Whirlwinds, in refereeing terms, are something you have to prepare for, According to Wayne Barnes - who has called it a day after a dizzying 272 English Premiership matches refereed, with 10 finals, and 111 Tests, including a World Cup final - you simply have to plan for any eventuality. Of course, you never expect all of them to happen …
Asked whether he was a better referee at the end than when he started, Barnes begins telling us about the power of experience.
‘I think the more you see and the more you do, it helps your refereeing,’ he says, ‘so I definitely think being a bit older and wiser helps.’
But he adds: ‘Also, one thing. As referees when we're uncomfortable or we get things kind of wrong,…
