Referee Wayne Barnes has spoken about the 2007 Rugby World Cup quarterfinal that he officiated between the All Blacks and France, telling journalist Stephen Jones of how the fallout that followed on from the All Blacks' controversial defeat "affected me".
At the age of 28, Barnes was handed the task of refereeing the quarter-final that led to New Zealand's worst ever performance at a Rugby World Cup, as they bowed out of the tournament in the earliest stage in their history.
Barnes was execrated by All Blacks fans, as much of the blame for the loss was aimed at Barnes' handling of the game, particularly for a forward pass he missed in the lead up to the Yannick Jauzion try in the 68th minute that put the French in the lead.
The fallout was extensive and resentful, as the Englishman, now aged 37, was labelled as far too inexperienced and incompetent to be taking control of a fixture of such enormity.
"It affected me, my family and friends because my name was in the paper and you don't want to be the centre of attention," he told Jones.