England’s Wayne Barnes is set to make history when he takes charge of his 100th and 101st Tests in the November international window.
Barnes, who made his Fiji debut in June 2006, will become just the second referee to reach a century of testing behind friend Nigel Owens when he takes charge of Wales against New Zealand at the Principality Stadium on November 5.
The Englishman will then set an all-time record of 101 tests when he referees the game between Six Nations Grand Slam winners France and world champions South Africa in Paris a week later on November 12. .
World Rugby chairman Sir Bill Beaumont led the tributes to Barnes: “Congratulations to Wayne on his selection and pending record. Being as good as a referee for long is no mean feat. Wayne Barnes, like Nigel Owens before him, reaches 100 Tests by not only being a fantastic referee, but an excellent team player, a student of the game and someone who is highly respected by players, coaches and fans.
A total of 23 referees representing 10 nations will take charge of the November 37 Tests announced so far.
WEEK ONE:
| Japan v New Zealand Kasumigaoka National Stadium, Tokyo Saturday, October 29, 2022 |
Referee: Nika Amashukeli (GRU) Assistant Referee 1: Jordan Way (RA) Assistant Referee 2: Graham Cooper (AR) TMO: Marius Jonker (SARU) |
| Scotland v Australia Murrayfield, Edinburgh Saturday, October 29, 2022 |
Referee: Luke Pearce (RFU) Assistant Referee 1: Karl Dickson (RFU) Assistant Referee 2: Christophe Ridley (RFU) TMO: Stuart Terheege (RFU) |
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