All Blacks: Wayne Barnes on how Richie McCaw got into the heads of referees

Retired referee Wayne Barnes has revealed how All Blacks legend Richie McCaw would use his knowledge of rugby rules to get into the minds of referees.

The two-time Rugby World Cup winner was once dubbed as a “grub” by Australian media and a “master of the dark arts of breakdown cheating” in the lead-up to the 2015 Rugby World Cup final, his final test for the All Blacks.

In a column in the Telegraph, Barnes said McCaw, a three-time World Rugby Player of the Year, didn’t often get in the referee’s ear but when he did he left a seed of doubt in their mind.

“Some of the greatest players to have ever played are often accused of having the referee in their pocket,” Barnes wrote. “But, in my experience, the greatest players do not intimidate or harangue you; instead, they use their encyclopaedic knowledge of the lawbook to make you question yourself.”

All Blacks captain Richie McCaw talks to referee Wayne Barnes during the 2015 pool game against Argentina in which McCaw was sent to the bin. Photo /Brett Phibbs.

“Richie McCaw, contrary to what most people think, hardly spoke to referees during a match, but when he did, he knew his stuff.

“He asked the right question at the right time, sewing a seed of doubt in a referee’s mind, so when he attempted the next turnover or counter-rucked at the next breakdown, his words were still lingering in your mind.”

Barnes also praised British and Irish Lions skipper Sam Warburton for questioning the referee in the pivotal closing stages of the third test against the All Blacks in 2017.

With the sides locked up at 15-15 with two minutes to play, Romain Poite originally awarded a penalty within kicking range for the All Blacks, before changing to a scrum.

“Sam Warburton’s question to Romain Poite at the end of the final Lions Test in New Zealand not only showed perfect timing but also a captain who knew the laws of the game inside out,” Barnes wrote.

The All Blacks failed to score from the attacking scrum and the eventual draw meant a tied series.

In his autobiography Throwing the Book released last year, Barnes also tackled the issue of McCaw and the legality of some of his work around the breakdown.

Despite playing 148 tests, McCaw was only sin-binned three times. The last was by Barnes himself.

“One captain people imagine must have got up refs’ noses was All Blacks great Richie McCaw, because he was widely accused of being a serial cheat,” Barnes wrote.

“The list of opposition coaches and players who called him a cheat was long and included France number eight Imanol Harinordoquy, who claimed that McCaw played the whole of the 2011 World Cup final offside.

“But I always thought the argument that McCaw was allowed to get away with murder was lazy. If you look at the stats, McCaw gave away more penalties than most international back rows, so the argument that referees were keeping a proper eye on him doesn’t stand up.

“Neither does the argument that he intimidated referees because he hardly spoke.

“So, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but Richie McCaw was fine by me. A good skipper is a wily skipper, and McCaw was as wily as they come.”