referee

Barnes to take charge of All Blacks-Springboks final

Barnes will have compatriots Karl Dickson and Matthew Carley as his assistant referees, with Tom Foley named as the Television Match Official.

Barnes, 44, who made his debut when Fiji played Samoa in Suva in 2006, will become the second Englishman to officiate a World Cup final after Ed Morrison, who was in charge when New Zealand and South Africa last met in the title decider in 1995.

Sara Cox made Premiership history this week that has been much praised

Having also been the first woman to take charge of a Premiership Cup game in 2018, Cox was an assistant referee in Bath’s contest with Wasps at The Rec. 

The appointment was very well received by rugby fans – and there has been a hugely positive reaction on social media regharding these strides towards greater inclusivity in the sport. 

While some have questioned why it has taken this long for this to happen, especially as Joy Neville has been refereeing in the Guinness PRO14 for quite some time, the next step is to see a female refereeing a Premiership match. 

NRL referee opens up on vile abuse after World Cup semi

Cecchin, who disallowed a try that would have given Tonga an upset win, has told The Sydney Morning Herald he was in an Auckland bar when police rang to tell him they had contacted him and several family members that had been targeted.

He was advised not the leave the hotel and told he would be picked up and taken to the airport.

On his return to Australia, he was picked up by the Australian Federal Police.

He also flicked through his phone to discover more than a thousand "vile" attacks, the likes of which he had never encountered across his entire career.