Wayne Barnes, the Englishman who sent Sam Cane off in the World Cup final loss to South Africa, has come out strongly in favour of the 20-minute red card to protect players and officials from a lifetime of “hurt and anguish”.
The law that means a player can be replaced after 20 minutes in certain situations has caused controversy, especially in the northern hemisphere, with critics suggesting it could lead to worse on-field incidents.
The 20-minute red card has been successfully trialled in The Rugby Championship and Super Rugby and will be trialled during the Autumn Nations Series, starting with the All Blacks match against England at Twickenham on Sunday.
Writing a column in the UK Telegraph, Barnes reflected on his massive decision to send All Blacks skipper Cane off in the game’s showpiece event in Paris last year.
“When I pulled out a red card in the Rugby World Cup final to inform the New Zealand team that their captain, Sam Cane, would not be returning to the pitch, I knew it would be a decision that would be associated with me and Sam for the rest of our lives,” wrote Barnes.
“When Cane came onto the pitch to shake my hand immediately following the final whistle, I could already sense the hurt and anguish in his eyes.”
Sam Cane of New Zealand walks past the The Webb Ellis Cup following the Rugby World Cup Final match between New Zealand and South Africa. (Photo by David Ramos – World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)
Barnes wrote that the Cane incident, and others involving players such as Lydia Thompson, the England player who was sent off just 18 minutes into the women’s World Cup final loss to New Zealand, were “significant points in these players’ lives”.
“As Cane put it immediately after the match in Paris, it would be a moment that he would have to “live with forever”,” wrote Barnes.
“Examples like those are one of the reasons why a 20-minute red card will be trialled during the Autumn Nations Series. Match officials will distinguish between deliberate acts of foul play and unintentional ones.
“No one who watched either World Cup final would say either Cane or Thompson intentionally tried to tackle their opponent high; they simply got their technique wrong, and were severely punished for that slight error in judgement. We are asking players to play the game at a higher speed than ever before, and under more fatigue, but we also ask them not to make mistakes more than ever.”
Barnes, who retired after the World Cup, said technical decisions were often highly disputed.
“Such critical decisions are rarely universally agreed upon. I have been part of calibration meetings where the great and good of the game have discussed foul play incidents after being given days to prepare for meetings to decide upon their views,” said Barnes.
Ardie Savea of New Zealand and teammates talk to Referee Wayne Barnes during the Rugby World Cup Final. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
These meetings include Joe Schmidt, Jacques Nienaber, Jamie Roberts and Ugo Monye to name just a few. Not a single clip has received unanimity as to what decision should be given. Yet people expect referees to get it ‘right’.
“So if it is so hard to agree upon the ‘right’ decision, the law makers can reduce the impact of the decision. We all know that when people disagree with match officials – be it coaches, commentators or the general public – online abuse follows. Reducing the impact of the decision on a team, will hopefully reduce the likelihood of a social media pile-on that we have seen too often and I know from personal experience can be horrific.”
He accepted that the trial could be confusing for all stakeholders and suggested a third coloured card might be required.
But Barnes also suggested that there might not need to be use for a “permanent red” which will still be used for deliberate acts of foul play or “thuggery”.
“I believe, though, that real thuggery is a thing of the past. In my 111 Test matches, I cannot recall sending anyone off for an eye-gouge, a headbutt or running in from 20 metres to chin someone,” Barnes wrote.
“The law makers must make it clear what a permanent red card should be given for, however, and they should give all referees and spectators a list of those offences. If a referee still has to decide whether a piece of foul play was deliberate or was with a high level of danger, the same postmortem will be held in TV studios and online across the globe. Trying to decide whether a player is attempting to wrap an arm in a tackle is extremely difficult, and should not be part of that list.
“It is important to reemphasise that this is still a trial, and just like those calibration meetings, I am not sure there will be unanimity on the final decision to introduce a 20-minute red card beyond this Autumn Nations Series. There are some very different views on the proposals, and what such a law change may mean for players, match officials and fans. And all those views will have to be heard.”
