Cape Town — English referee Wayne Barnes says he “doesn’t know” if Rassie Erasmus’ social media posts about some of his decisions caused the abuse that he and his family received following the France-Springbok Test in Marseille last month, but he felt disappointed that he couldn’t address the issues with the SA director of rugby.
The 43-year-old set a new world record of 101 Tests in charge in France’s 30-26 victory at the Stade Velodrome, but said he didn’t expect the “fall-out” afterwards about some of the decisions he made.
There were several issues pointed out by Erasmus, but some of the more contentious ones was the match-winning try by replacement prop Sipili Falatea in the closing stages, as well as Deon Fourie’s yellow card at a maul in a first offence by the Boks in their 22, after the French got away with three consecutive penalties without a card.
Since then, World Rugby suspended Erasmus for the Italy and England Tests, and have engaged in dialogue with him and SA Rugby to find solutions in addressing concerns about referees’ decisions.
In an interview on the The Good, The Bad and The Rugby UK podcast this week, Barnes was asked whether Erasmus’ social media posts had led to the threats that his family had received, and he said: “I can’t, I don’t know the answer to that.
“But what I would say is that if people see people in positions who are meant to uphold the values of the game openly criticising referees, then I think that allows everyone to say, ‘Well, if people in positions of power can openly criticise (referees), then why can’t I?’
“I am disappointed about the way there is a process that we go through … Post-match, there is a formal way of discussing a game, and highlighting any issues of concern, where you would say ‘Can I have feedback on these?’
“You can do that online or face-to-face if that works, and I have always been open to that as I want to learn and get better, and understand why I didn’t get something right.
“For instance, in the try at the end of the game — where the player’s knees don’t hit the floor — I want to be able to explain why I made a certain decision.
“I can do that, and have done that after every single one of those 100 games that led to that (French Test). I didn’t have that opportunity in that game, so that’s what disappoints me: all of a sudden, a review is played out in a public arena rather than in an agreed arena.”
Barnes was a match official in the very next Bok Test, against Italy in Genoa, and said he was able to have an amiable chat with some of the South African players, including captain Siya Kolisi.
“I’ve always had an amazing relationship with the South African team and players, and had some amazing games with them … ” he said.
“The week after (the French Test), I ran touch with Matthew Carley in Italy v South Africa in Genoa, and Matthew had refereed extremely well, and looked after me a little bit.
“Then after the match, when it’s France and Italy involved, there is always a good post-match (function). We went to the function and I spoke to a lot of the South African players whom I have a lot of respect for and a lot of time for, and Kolisi is one of those individuals I spent some time with …
“They were aware of the story, and they weren’t aware of the extent of what had happened during that work.
“It was good, as the most important relationship for a referee is with the players and captains. If you trust each other, then it adds value to the game.
“It was nice to speak to some of those players whom I have worked with, who have been in the Premiership for years.”
Barnes maintains that the abuse of match officials has to stop, whether they had made mistakes or not, and said the referees have decided to form their own organisation to provide support to their members.
And of course, the threats directed at his wife Polly and children were unacceptable.
He went on to explain the process that the officials go through following a match.
“You know this was a tight game and there were some tight decisions. The way I review a game … We will sit down as my little team, and the TMO comes in from the van, two touch judges — straight after the game, you have a shower, grab a beer and have a chat,” Barnes said.
“You’ll do what we call a hot debrief and an immediate debrief, to know what the main issues could be — and they might be positive, or we might need to have a look at that again.
“How did that feel? What did that sense like? There’s something about that immediacy. That immediate feedback is the most honest, because by Wednesday or Thursday, you probably forgot about it — whereas if something has gone right or wrong, you want to capture it, you want to say ‘Why did that work?’
“We knew there were some big moments that we had to discuss. But I didn’t expect the fall-out … I know when there is going to be a fall-out — I keep jumping back to ‘07. When you know you’ve missed a forward pass in the lead-up to a try, in a quarter-final and then the team lose, you know there is going to be a big fall-out.
“I didn’t expect the fall-out that actually came.
“As a referee, you are going to get criticised — you accept that, and that’s part of the job. I also realise that I am on social media, and I use that platform to promote the game, to promote officiating, to promote my charity … I hope to do it for the right reasons.
“That encourages people to talk back to you, criticise you and criticism on social media quickly becomes abuse — that is the world that we live in, that is social media.
“But I make those decisions: to be a referee, to be on social media. Polly my wife doesn’t make the decision to be a referee …
“So, on the Saturday night, there started to be direct abuse at Polly, and then the following two or three days, there was direct abuse at Polly — threats of sexual violence, and threats against the kids.
“To Polly and to me, direct threats about your kids, and that takes it to a different level.
“When you’ve done 100 games, you’ve got a lot of experience … you think you can prepare for most things. You can’t prepare for that.
“When I said it’s been a shi*** couple of weeks, it’s been a shi*** couple of weeks.
“It wasn’t even a line that was crossed: you’ve gone so far beyond it, you can’t even see the line.
“You first make sure you protect your family. You hope the kids never know about it, and you try and work out that you report some of them to the police and the social media accounts where they come from.
“You also have to make the game aware, as World Rugby said in their statement, people look at what you put out on social media — fans pay attention to that.
“And if people are openly criticising referees on social media, from positions of seniority in the game, and positions that are meant to uphold our values, then it quickly (becomes) ‘Why not the rugby club? Why not the players? Why not the fans?’.
“Criticism becomes quickly abuse, and you say to World Rugby, ‘This isn’t good enough’.
“We all got together on the Sunday night-Monday morning as a group of international referees, and the international referees all said: ‘This has to stop’.
“This was my personal story, but Nic Berry — a real wonderful man — the abuse that he and his family got directly during the (British & Irish) Lions series; Marius Jonker, the TMO, direct abuse to him and his family during that series.
“Andrew Brace, after the England-France game. People sending him messages about his dad’s obituary, like what world do we live in that anyone thinks that’s right?
“It was a point where the referees said something needs to be done. We need to be protected.
“The referees have been chatting about this for quite a while, but we’ll launch in the next three or four weeks, in the lead-up to the next Six Nations, an International Rugby Match Officials Association.
“The aim of that is to make sure that we have a voice within the decision-making processes — whether that is the shape of the game, laws of the game. We want to protect referees and promote their physical and mental wellbeing — we need someone to have our backs a little bit.
“I say that, but the RFU (Rugby Football Union) has been amazing during this period: Bill Sweeney, Conor O’Shea …
“But we came in on the Sunday and the referees said this is happening too much, and I think Ben O’Keeffe — another amazing man, amazing referee — after the Australia-Ireland game, he said here are some of the posts I’m getting, and he shared them on social media, to say: ‘Is this the kind of response we want? Is this what we should be doing?’
“Criticise my decisions … but threats of violence? This is a game of rugby.
“If people see people in positions who are meant to uphold the values of our game openly criticising referees, then I think it allows others to say well ‘Why can’t I?’”
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