Rugby World Cup 2023 final: Wayne Barnes to referee New Zealand v South Africa
- Published
England's Wayne Barnes (left) and Matthew Carley (right) will be two of the officials in Saturday's Rugby World Cup final
2023 Rugby World Cup final: New Zealand v South Africa |
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Venue: Stade de France, Paris Date: Saturday, 28 October Kick-off: 20:00 BST |
Coverage: Commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live, plus text updates on the BBC Sport website and app. |
England's Wayne Barnes will referee the Rugby World Cup final between New Zealand and South Africa at Stade de France on Saturday.
Barnes, 44, will become the second Englishman to officiate a final after Ed Morrison who took charge in 1995.
Karl Dickson and Matthew Carley will be assistant referees, with Tom Foley named television match official.
It is the first time in Rugby World Cup history that all the officials have been appointed from one union.
"It speaks volumes for the quality of English officials and this group who work so brilliantly alongside one another," Rugby Football Union chief executive Bill Sweeney said.
"All of our officials who have played a part in this tournament can be very proud of the contribution they have made to its success, and we look forward to congratulating them in person on their return home."
Barnes, who has taken charge of a record 110 Tests and is at his fifth World Cup, officiated New Zealand's victory over Ireland in the quarter-finals but did not referee either of the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, Australia's Nic Berry will be the referee for the third-place play-off between England and Argentina on Friday.