Barnes to referee All Blacks Rugby World Cup opener

Wayne Barnes. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The referees for the Rugby World Cup pool games have been announced and there will be an obvious reaction to the man in charge of the All Blacks opener.

Englishman Wayne Barnes will referee the All Blacks first match against Argentina at Wembley.

Barnes was slated for his performance the last time he took charge of an All Blacks game at a World Cup. He was blamed by New Zealand fans for the 2007 quarter-final defeat to France in Cardiff after he missed a forward pass in the lead-up to a French try.

He didn't referee an All Blacks game at the last World Cup but was in charge of the side's most recent match, a 34-16 win over Wales at Cardiff last year. He was also referee for the All Blacks only defeat of 2014, a 27-25 loss to South Africa in Johannesburg.

Barnes isn't the most popular referee in Ireland either after taking charge of a Six Nations game earlier this year.

Frenchmen Romain Poite and Pascal Gauzer will officiate New Zealand's pool matches against Namibia and Georgia respectively while Englishman John Lacey will referee the final pool match against Tonga.

South African Jaco Peyper will be in charge of the opening game of the tournament between England and Fiji at Twickenham. Romain Poite will referee the big pool A group match between England and Australia.

New Zealand's Glen Jackson will referee three pool matches including the clash between Ireland and Canada at the Millennium Stadium. Chris Pollock also will referee three games including hosts England against Uruguay at Manchester City Stadium.