#Wayne Barnes

It's been a year when disciplinary decisions have been in the spotlight like never before. We've had the Joe Marler gypsy-boy row, Argentine assaults, a vicious hit on a female referee and a suspension following a bizarre incident in an airport toilet cubicle! Rugby correspondent Simon Thomas looks back on these and the players who picked up bans…

In this week's Five takeaways from the Premiership round, Planet Rugby features writer James While tackled, in passing, the interaction between commentators and the third match official. In an exclusive piece, we delve a little deeper into this to examine exactly the challenges that the officiating teams are now facing. In…

Exeter Chiefs are looking to make it three wins on the bounce when they head to Wasps Rugby on Saturday in Round Five of the 2021/22 Gallagher Premiership. Wasps' three games so far in Gallagher Premiership Rugby have all been won by the home side on the day. Wasps have lost just one of their last five matches played at Coventry Building Society…

We asked our sports reporters at Stuff to say what they think the new year will bring and we'll be holding all of them accountable by seeing how right, or wrong they were, when we review their picks in 12 months' time. ANDREW VOERMAN The Football Ferns get their first Fifa Women's World Cup win against the Philippines at Sky Stadium in Wellington…

Rugby World writers pick rugby highlights of 2022 Yes, we compiled our own list of the biggest rugby moments 2022, but we thought we'd also ask some of Rugby World's contributors around the game to find out what they loved most in the last year of rugby. Here's what some of them had to say! Josh Graham Content editor "The rugby moment of 2022 was…

With World Rugby currently fighting brush fires on multiple fronts - high contact laws and sanctions, TMO involvement, intentional knock-ons, concussion and global season just some of the main issues - it seems both crazy and inevitable the game is about to stumble into another morass of its own making. A combination of the introduction of private…

Coronavirus fears have not dampened spirits when it comes to Cheltenham Festival and as Day Two gets underway it is all about the outfits as much as the action on the course. It is Ladies' Day in Cheltenham and the racecourse will match the catwalks when it comes to fashion, from tweed to feathers and everything in between. On the course all eyes…

The match, which takes place at BT Murrayfield in Edinburgh, will start at 1645 GMT on Saturday February 8 and will be screened live on BBC. Scotland team: Hogg; Maitland, Jones, Johnson, Kinghorn; Hastings, Price; Sutherland, Brown, Fagerson, Cummings, Gray, Ritchie, Watson, Bradbury. Replacements: McInally, Dell, Berghan, Toolis, Haining, Horne,…

Scott Barrett has been replaced at blindside flanker by Akira Ioane, with Tupou Vaa'i moving onto the bench, while Karl Tu'inukuafe replaces prop Aidan Ross on the bench. Barrett is understood to have an Achilles injury which has hampered him all week. Seconds out, round three. After the poor display and historic loss in Dunedin last weekend, the…

The final spot in the Gallagher Premiership play-offs comes down to the final day of the season and BT Sport will be showing all the action live. Northampton Saints host Newcastle Falcons at cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens, knowing that they are in pole position for that final spot as a win will be enough given they sit two points ahead of…

Scotland face their toughest test yet in the Autumn Nations Series when they welcome South Africa to BT Murrayfield on Saturday. Scotland captain Stuart Hogg lifts the Hopetoun Cup following the win over Australia. (Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group) The reigning world champions arrive in Edinburgh having beaten Wales in Cardiff 23-18 last weekend…