England Referee Wayne Barnes To Officiate Springbok vs New Zealand RWC 2023 Final Match, SA Relieved

• English referee Wayne Barnes is set to be the referee for the Rugby World Cup final bout between the Springboks and New Zealand
• News of his appointment was well received by South Africans as he is known to have vast experience in the game
• Netizens feel like the Springboks have a good chance of winning with Wayne blowing the whistle

South Africans welcomed the news that English referee Wayne Barnes will officiate the Springboks' final match against the All Blacks. Most netizens are relieved that he'll be the referee for the game because of his experience.

Wayne Barnes to be RWC final referee

Barnes brings a wealth of experience into the final. According to eNCA, Barnes has officiated five different World Cups, although he has never officiated a World Cup final. His first Rugby World Cup was in 2007 when it was also hosted in France.

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His appointment does not come with full acceptance as it won't be the first time he officiates a match where the Springboks are playing. SA director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus took issue with some of the decisions he made when Barnes officiated a game between the Springboks and France in the end-of-year series 2022.

SA reacts to the news

Netizens on Facebook reacted to the news.

Siyabulela Sikithi said:

“The most experienced ref in this World Cup. Congratulations, Wayne.”

Shadrack Motshwara agreed.

“The right man for the final.”

Justice Maake wrote:

“Putting aside the fact that the English are still crying about their loss, Barnes, as a referee, is the most experienced and the best referee we could get for a game of this magnitude. The man surely does have some integrity and professionalism and can’t be biased just because his country is feeling hard-done-by in the semis.”

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Still GT Towobola added:

“If we have an open mind, we will see that he is qualified and well-experienced and s such, will know the dos and don’ts regarding the final as much as he is from England.”

Wandile WanKhumzi Khumalo expressed himself.

“Coming from England, he must be known for his integrity and skill. He will be under pressure from our scrutiny.”

World Rugby to investigate Bongi Mbonambi

In a similar article, Briefly News reported that Springboks player Bongi Mbonambi will be investigated for his alleged racial slur against England player Tom Curry.

World Rugby announced that they will look into the allegations that Mbonambi used a racial slur during the springbok match against England, which they won. Netizens defended him and said that he was not racist in his speech.

Source: Briefly News