Wayne's World of Rugby

In the absence of any live sport and no real prospect of a visit to Twickenham any time soon we asked Wayne Barnes to be a special guest and answer some of your big rugby questions.

Wayne, who lives in Twickenham, is widely-respected as the world's best rugby referee.

He has refereed over 90 test matches, refereed at 4 Rugby World Cups and refereed more Rugby World Cup matches than any other official; including three quarter finals, a semi-final and a two bronze finals.

In 2019 he was named the World Rugby Referee of the Year.

Since his international debut in 2006, Wayne has refereed 2 European Champions Cup finals, 9 Premiership finals and he was the first Englishman to referee the British and Irish Lions and in 2018 refereed the historic match between Ireland and New Zealand in Dublin.

Now, during the sport lockdown and absence of all rugby, Wayne, a barrister and an accomplished after-dinner speaker, has generously agreed to make himself available to answer a few questions from the rugby-loving followers of Teddington Nub News

Firstly, we asked him how he was coping with the lockdown.

How you have been spending the lockdown? Have you been watching rugby classics or any other sport?

Juggling. Polly and I are both working from home. I've got my rugby role and my role within Fulcrum. We've got two children, 5 and 3, and we, like everyone else, are home schooling and have an even greater appreciation of the teaching profession. So not a lot of rugby classics! Though I have cleared out a few cupboards and found some old shirts which brought back some wonderful memories like my first Premiership Shirt – 2003.

How have you been keeping fit? What would you have been expecting to be doing now in terms of refereeing?

We get a weekly training schedule from our fitness advisor at the RFU, but where we would be based in a gym a few times a week, we are outdoors everyday. I've seen new parts of Twickenham though on my bike and with my runners on

When do you expect to be refereeing next?

The million dollar question. We are lucky at the RFU that our chief medical officer ("CMO"), Simon Kemp, is part of a group of elite sport CMOs who are working with the government, so we are being kept up to date regularly by the RFU. But in short, it will be when we are told it is safe to do so.

What do you think about all the discussion about new rugby calendar and proposed changes?

Anything that grows our game and makes it financially sustainable must be a positive for our sport. What is clear at the moment, is that there is a real appetite across the world to be collaborative.

Wayne will record his answers to 20 questions submitted through Teddington Nub News which we will then run on the website

You can ask any question you wish – even a cheeky one - but please be respectful and courteous. Questions should be emailed to [email protected] with Wayne's World in the subject line[.B]

There will be a mystery prize for the person who asks the most interesting question as judged by Wayne himself.