Experienced Referee Wayne Barnes to Take Charge of Rugby World Cup Final

Historic match officiating team entirely from Rugby Football Union, Barnes marks first final having worked in five consecutive World Cup campaigns.

Wayne Barnes, the most experienced referee in the history of Test rugby, will take the helm at the Rugby World Cup finals for the first time, with the match pitting New Zealand against South Africa.
The officiating team for the finals game, including Karl Dickson, Matthew Carley, Tom Foley, and Luke Pearce, are all from the Rugby Football Union (RFU) - a first in world cup history.
Barnes' selection marks his fifth consecutive World Cup campaign since his debut in 2007, and he notably officiated during the last week of each of these tournaments.
Despite controversies surrounding his past decisions and resulting backlash he and his family faced, Barnes persevered and considers his appointment to the final match as the highest honour in his refereeing career.
Aside from his illustrious refereeing career, Barnes also works as a lawyer - a partner at the London office of Squire Patton Boggs.