This is why Wayne Barnes is World Rugby’s referee of the year. Well… that’s an exaggeration, but it doesn’t hurt.
After South Africa’s World Cup win, the Englishman delivered a speech to members of the Springboks and their fans at an event.
The official praised the Springboks for their achievement in claiming South Africa’s third World Cup, conceding that he’d gone into the final as an Englishman feeling “pretty smug”, before realising very early on in the match that Eddie Jones’ men had quite a task ahead of them.
He covered a range of moments from the World Cup, including the red card to Italy’s Andrea Lovotti.