Wayne Barnes has spoken out against the "vile" social media abuse which is now prevalent in sport, saying that the threats made against him and his family in recent weeks had "crossed the line."
The 44-year-old English referee hung up his whistle last week after officiating a Rugby World Cup final for the first time in his career, at the conclusion of a tournament which saw him twice referee Ireland.
October's World Cup final between South Africa and New Zealand was a tense and gripping affair - though, for some, it became one defined by the refereeing decisions on the pitch.
All Blacks captain Sam Cane was sent off in the first-half of the game, the first red card in World Cup final history, and New Zealand have since lodged a complaint to World Rugby over the officiating of the decider.
The days since that final have seen much debate over the refereeing and, regrettably, some have taken disappointing and extreme measures in sending referee Wayne Barnes death threats.
Speaking this week, Barnes called out the toxicity of online rugby fanbases, and said that the "vile" social media abuse had to be addressed immediately.
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Wayne Barnes calls out "vile" social media abuse
14 October 2023; Referee Wayne Barnes awards a scrum penalty to New Zealand during the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final match between Ireland and New Zealand at the Stade de France in Paris, France. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
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Wayne Barnes discussed the issues with Dan Roan of BBC Sport this week, and revealed the extent to which he and his family had been threatened in the days following the World Cup final.
He questioned how people could countenance making such disgusting threats against the families of those involved, and called for prosecution against those responsible:
When people make threats against your wife and kids, they should be held to account and punished. Threats of sexual violence, threats saying, 'we know where you live.' It crosses that line.
Social media is getting worse and it's the sad thing about the sport at the moment, it has not been a one-off.
If you're a fan at your local rugby club and you're sending vile messages to people's families and making threats, why should you be able to be involved in the rugby family? The bit I've always struggled with and will continue to struggle with is when that abuse comes to my family.
I want prosecuting agencies to consider ways of doing that, I want legislation of what social media sites can do to prevent it and I also want governing bodies to consider what they can do.
The threats which have followed the Rugby World Cup final are a shocking and disheartening way for one of rugby's most well-respected referees to bow out from the game.
The Englishman said at the time that his wife Polly had received similar threats of sexual violence, and that the family had once again received threats of violence against their children.
In this week's interview with the BBC, Barnes revealed that the comments from Erasmus and the barrage of abuse which followed had lead him to question his future in rugby this time last year:
Without doubt, it was a moment where you think 'why do we do this? But then you sit down and talk about it and realise there is only 10 months to go [until the World Cup] and you don't want the keyboard warriors to win.
We can only hope that Wayne Barnes' call for punishment will see action taken against the increasing prevalence of online abuse in rugby.
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