Wayne Barnes under scrutiny for two late calls that went against Ireland

“I’m not so sure Wayne Barnes had a great game.”

When Wayne Barnes has refereed Ireland, over the past decade, the men in green get penalised, on average, an extra two times. Whatever Barnes sees Ireland up to, he does not tolerate (or allow) it as much as other officials.

“Every time I watch him referee Ireland, I know it’s going to be tricky,” former Ireland flanker Kevin McLaughlin remarked about Barnes, back in 2017. Four years later and it is still tricky.

Ireland would have been well aware that Barnes is hot on certain areas around the breakdown but they were still penalised twice in the opening 10 minutes. Then, just as they were making a foot-hold in the game, Barnes felt there was no other option but to send off Peter O’Mahony for a reckless clear-out on Wales prop Tomas Francis.

Although Andy Farrell did grumble about that decision, Ireland could have no serious complaints about that decision in a period when shots to the head are being closely scrutinised. However, during the final 20 minutes of their agonising 21-16 loss to the Welsh, there were a few questionable calls made that went against Ireland.

On the latest House of Rugby Ireland, host Eimear Considine looked back on those big decisions [LISTEN from 1:30 below] with former Ireland internationals Chris Henry and Fergus McFadden.

“My overriding feeling,” says McFadden, “is that I’m not so sure Wayne Barnes had a great game for Ireland in the second half.

“There was a very important penalty, before the end, where Tadhg Beirne was over the ball and it seemed like the ball was out. That penalty was given against Ireland. That’s three points and, when you roll it forward, when Billy Burns was kicking for the corner, he could have kicked for goal if that penalty wasn’t given; and I don’t think it was a penalty.”

Barnes told players, after the 65th minute penalty was awarded, that Beirne was in the tackle zone and did not come in to try and contest the ball off his back foot.

McFadden believes Barnes should have sin-binned Wales’ Nick Tompkins for his deliberate knock-on, late in the game. “If that’s not the 79th minute,” he says, “that’s clearly a yellow card. From that penalty, if Ireland kick to touch, Wales are now a man down in the centre and it creates more space.”

While both sides were trying their best to appeal for every big decision, Barnes was trying to keep his cool and maintain a light-hearted dialogue with the key on-field players.

There was a strange comment, however, made by Barnes to CJ Stander as the game entered the final 10 minutes. Sexton’s head had accidentally collided with the knee of Justin Tipuric and play was held up while he was assessed on the field. Typical of Sexton, despite being shaken, he was still arguing his side’s case loudly to the English referee.

As Sexton was helped from the field by two members of the Irish medical staff, Barnes was picked up making the comment to Stander.

With Sexton, James Ryan (HIA) and O’Mahony all off the field, the Munster forward took over a captain for the final 10 minutes. With the match clock stopped at 69:20, and as Stander approached, pitch-side microphones picked the referee up saying:

“Are you captain now?”

After receiving a reply in the affirmative, Barnes remarked, “He was asking how my Christmas was,” before laughing.

The TV cameras picked up on Sexton as he unsteadily made his way off the field of play. The Leinster outhalf said, following the game, that he had not yet gone for a Head Injury Assessment.

“I’ll do one later and I’ll do one tomorrow obviously,” he stated.

“I obviously got a bang on the head but I feel okay now, I got a bump on the side of the temple but I should hopefully be okay when I go through all the return to play protocols and hopefully I’ll be okay to return to training next week.”

CATCH THAT FULL EPISODE HERE:

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